Exercise is physical activity that involves repetitive bodily movement done to improve or maintain one or more of the components of physical fitness: cardiorespiratory endurance (aerobic fitness), muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and body composition. Exercise interventions in patients with cancer have been provided as home-based, patient self-managed programs as well as supervised and unsupervised individual or group exercise sessions of varying duration and frequency. They can include combinations of aerobic and resistance activities. Exercise has been studied in patients with cancer for anxiety, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, depression, dyspnea, hot flashes, lymphedema, sleep/wake disturbance, pain, and fatigue. It has also been studied for caregiver strain and burden. Users of this information are encouraged to review intervention details in study summaries, as the exercise interventions studied and their timings in the trajectory of cancer care vary and these differences can influence effectiveness.
Barber, F.D. (2013). Effects of social support on physical activity, self-efficacy, and quality of life in adult cancer survivors and their caregivers. Oncology Nursing Forum, 40, 481–489.
To explore the relationships between adult cancer survivors’ and caregivers’ social support, self-efficacy for physical activity, physical activity, and quality of life, and to understand their perceptions of social support in physical activity participation
Participants attended the FitSTEPS for Life® (FSFL) for one month. FSFL is an individually tailored and supervised community-based exercise program for cancer survivors and their caregivers established by the Cancer-Foundation For Life nonprofit organization. Survivors required a referral from their oncologists to be able to attend FSFL and were expected to exercise at least three times a week.
Only data on caregivers were included in this summary.
Mixed-method, quasi-experimental study with written responses to questions and recorded interviews of the caregivers of patients who enrolled in FSFL based on oncologist referrals
Participation in FSLP did not have a significant effect on caregivers' PA, quality of life, social support, or SEPA. Qualitative data supported relationships between social support, PA, and quality of life.
Nurses should consider the role of social support in designing interventions to influence the PA, self efficacy, and quality of life of caregivers. Nurses should encourage cancer survivors and their caregivers to openly discuss their needs for social support. This study was too small to evaluate the effects of exercise, and the high drop out rate suggests that continued involvement in this type of effort may not be acceptable for patients and caregivers.