THE EFFECTS OF A HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS’ PRESCRIPTION OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ON CANCER SURVIVORS’ PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVELS

Abstract

Cancer survivors may experience adverse health effects (e.g., fatigue, anxiety, depression) even after cancer treatment is completed. Physical activity is one way cancer survivors may suppress or treat these side effects. Despite the known benefits, nearly 82% of cancer survivors do meet ACSM physical activity guidelines. One strategy that may increase cancer survivors' physical activity is for health care providers to prescribe a physical activity prescription. This study's purpose was to compare physical activity levels between cancer survivors who were prescribed physical activity by their healthcare provider and those who were not. We hypothesized that cancer survivors who received a physical activity prescription post-treatment would report higher levels of physical activity than survivors who did not. Participants completed an online survey that inquired about demographics, cancer history, physical activity prescription, physical activity levels, anxiety, depression, fatigue, sleep quality, stress, and health-related quality of life. Participants (N = 39) were mostly female (74.4%) and Caucasian (92.3%), with a mean age of 48.1 ± 17. 9 years. Participants reported being diagnosed with breast (41%), 'other' (e.g., lymphoma, ovarian, stomach) (30.8%), leukemia (12.8%), kidney (7.7%), prostate (5.1%), and endometrial cancer (2.6%). Post-treatment physical activity prescription was reported by 46% of participants. Data revealed no significant difference in physical activity levels (p = .896; d = .042), anxiety (p = .400; d = .400), depression (p = .510; d = .510), fatigue (p = .207; d = -.412), sleep quality (p = .984; d = .007), stress (p = .968; d = .017), and health-related quality of life (p = .435; d = .254) scores between participants who received a physical activity prescription post-cancer treatment and those who did not. Findings indicated no differences in physical activity levels in individuals who were prescribed physical activity versus those who were not. With the discrepancy in effectiveness between written and oral physical activity prescriptions, future research should inquire about what type of physical activity prescription participants received (e.g., written, oral, etc.) while also considering a larger, more diverse sample size. From a public health perspective, future research is warranted to determine how patients receive physical activity prescriptions to improve their effectiveness.