TY - JOUR
T1 - Factors associated with changes in exercise behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic
AU - Himbert, Caroline
AU - Hathaway, Cassandra A.
AU - Daniels, Bailee
AU - Salas, Karen
AU - Ashworth, Anjelica
AU - Gigic, Biljana
AU - Lin, Tengda
AU - Viskochil, Richard
AU - Kirchhoff, Anne C.
AU - Grossman, Douglas
AU - Ose, Jennifer
AU - Tward, Jonathan
AU - Scaife, Courtney
AU - Figueiredo, Jane C.
AU - Toriola, Adetunji T.
AU - Beck, Anna
AU - Shibata, David
AU - Gonzalez, Brian D.
AU - Matsen, Cindy
AU - Christenson, Cristina
AU - Ma, Debra S.
AU - Colman, Howard
AU - Hunt, Jason P.
AU - Jones, Kevin B.
AU - Lee, Catherine J.
AU - Larson, Mikaela
AU - Onega, Tracy
AU - Akerley, Wallace L.
AU - Li, Christopher I.
AU - Schneider, Martin
AU - Penedo, Frank J.
AU - Siegel, Erin M.
AU - Tworoger, Shelley S.
AU - Ulrich, Cornelia M.
AU - Peoples, Anita R.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
PY - 2022/7
Y1 - 2022/7
N2 - Purpose: There is limited information on how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed health behaviors among cancer patients. We examined changes in exercise behaviors since the pandemic and identified characteristics associated with these changes among cancer patients. Methods: Cancer patients (n = 1,210) completed a survey from August to September 2020 to assess COVID-19 pandemic-related changes in health behaviors and psychosocial factors. Patients were categorized into three groups: exercising less, exercising did not change, and exercising more. Patient characteristics were compared by exercise groups. Results: One-third of the patients reported a decreased amount of regular exercise, while 10% reported exercising more during the pandemic. Patients who exercised less were more likely to be unemployed/retired and have poor health status and psychosocial stressors such as disruptions in daily life while less likely to be former smokers (all p < 0.05). In contrast, patients who exercised more were younger, had stage IV diagnosis, and also reported disruptions in daily life (all p < 0.05). Patients who were living in rural areas were also more likely not to experience changes in exercise habits (all p < 0.05), although rural–urban status was not identified as a strong predictor. Conclusion: A significant proportion of cancer patients experienced changes in exercise habits, especially exercising less, during the first 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Age, employment status, tumor stage, health status, smoking status, and psychosocial factors were associated with changes in exercise behaviors. Our results highlight the importance of promoting physical activity guidelines for cancer survivorship during the COVID-19 pandemic and may help improve the identification of cancer patients susceptible to exercising less.
AB - Purpose: There is limited information on how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed health behaviors among cancer patients. We examined changes in exercise behaviors since the pandemic and identified characteristics associated with these changes among cancer patients. Methods: Cancer patients (n = 1,210) completed a survey from August to September 2020 to assess COVID-19 pandemic-related changes in health behaviors and psychosocial factors. Patients were categorized into three groups: exercising less, exercising did not change, and exercising more. Patient characteristics were compared by exercise groups. Results: One-third of the patients reported a decreased amount of regular exercise, while 10% reported exercising more during the pandemic. Patients who exercised less were more likely to be unemployed/retired and have poor health status and psychosocial stressors such as disruptions in daily life while less likely to be former smokers (all p < 0.05). In contrast, patients who exercised more were younger, had stage IV diagnosis, and also reported disruptions in daily life (all p < 0.05). Patients who were living in rural areas were also more likely not to experience changes in exercise habits (all p < 0.05), although rural–urban status was not identified as a strong predictor. Conclusion: A significant proportion of cancer patients experienced changes in exercise habits, especially exercising less, during the first 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Age, employment status, tumor stage, health status, smoking status, and psychosocial factors were associated with changes in exercise behaviors. Our results highlight the importance of promoting physical activity guidelines for cancer survivorship during the COVID-19 pandemic and may help improve the identification of cancer patients susceptible to exercising less.
KW - Cancer epidemiology
KW - Cancer prevention
KW - Cancer survivorship
KW - Covid-19
KW - Exercise oncology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85129905921&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10552-022-01580-z
DO - 10.1007/s10552-022-01580-z
M3 - Article
C2 - 35554777
AN - SCOPUS:85129905921
SN - 0957-5243
VL - 33
SP - 939
EP - 950
JO - Cancer Causes and Control
JF - Cancer Causes and Control
IS - 7
ER -