Implementation of Physical Activity Programs for Rural Cancer Survivors: Challenges and Opportunities

Kelly A. Hirko, Joan M. Dorn, James W. Dearing, Catherine M. Alfano, Annemarie Wigton and Kathryn H. Schmitz
Additional contact information
Kelly A. Hirko: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
Joan M. Dorn: Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, School of Public Health and Health Professions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA
James W. Dearing: Department of Communications, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
Catherine M. Alfano: Northwell Health Cancer Institute, New Hyde Park, NY 11042, USA
Annemarie Wigton: Munson Healthcare, Traverse City, MI 49684, USA
Kathryn H. Schmitz: Department of Public Health Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 24, 1-9

Abstract: Physical activity after cancer diagnosis has been consistently associated with improvements in quality of life and prognosis. However, few cancer survivors meet physical activity recommendations, and adherence is even lower among those living in rural settings. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to evaluate the implementation of a clinic-based physical activity program for cancer survivors at a rural community oncology setting. We also examined changes in quality-of-life measures among 24 cancer survivors participating in the physical activity program and described challenges and opportunities to optimize future implementation efforts in rural settings. Significant pre- to post-program improvements in fatigue (5.5 to 6.8; p = 0.03), constipation (7.7 to 9.0; p = 0.02), pain (6.7 to 8.0; p = 0.007), and sleep quality ( p = 0.008) were observed. Participants also reported improved nausea, stamina, depression, stress, and overall physical health after participation in the physical activity program, although the differences were not statistically significant (all p -values > 0.13). However, the reach of the physical activity program was limited, with only 0.59% of cancer survivors participating. Fidelity to the physical activity program was relatively high, with 72.7% of survivors participating in at least five classes. Our findings suggest that physical activity programs in oncological settings may need tailoring to effectively reach rural cancer survivors.

Keywords: physical activity; rural; cancer; implementation; health equity; translation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/24/12909/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/24/12909/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:24:p:12909-:d:697046

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().