TY - JOUR
T1 - Enhancing an oncologist’s recommendation to exercise to manage fatigue levels in breast cancer patients
T2 - a randomized controlled trial
AU - Winters-Stone, Kerri M.
AU - Moe, Esther
AU - Perry, Cynthia K.
AU - Medysky, Mary
AU - Pommier, Rodney
AU - Vetto, John
AU - Naik, Arpana
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany.
PY - 2018/3/1
Y1 - 2018/3/1
N2 - Purpose: Fatigue is a troublesome symptom for breast cancer patients, which might be mitigated with exercise. Cancer patients often prefer their oncologist recommend an exercise program, yet a recommendation alone may not be enough to change behavior. Our study determined whether adding an exercise DVD to an oncologist’s recommendation to exercise led to better outcomes than a recommendation alone. Methods: Ninety breast cancer patients, at varying phases of treatment and stages of disease, were randomized to receive the following: an oncologist verbal recommendation to exercise (REC; n = 43) or REC plus a cancer-specific yoga DVD (REC + DVD; n = 47). Fatigue, vigor, and depression subscales of the Profile of Mood States, and physical activity levels (MET-min/week), exercise readiness, and self-efficacy were assessed at baseline, 4, and 8 weeks. Analyses controlled for age, time since diagnosis, and metastatic disease. Results: Over 8 weeks, women in REC + DVD used the DVD an average of twice per week. The REC + DVD group had greater reductions in fatigue (− 1.9 ± 5.0 vs. − 1.0 ± 3.5, p = 0.02), maintained exercise readiness (− 0.1 ± 1.1 vs. − 0.3 ± 1.3; p = 0.03), and reported less of a decrease in physical activity (− 420 ± 3075 vs. − 427 ± 5060 MET-min/week, p = 0.06) compared to REC only. Conclusions: A low-cost, easily distributed, and scalable yoga-based DVD could be a simple booster to an oncologist’s advice that motivates breast cancer patients, even those with advanced disease and/or in treatment, to engage in self-care, e.g., exercise, to manage fatigue. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03120819.
AB - Purpose: Fatigue is a troublesome symptom for breast cancer patients, which might be mitigated with exercise. Cancer patients often prefer their oncologist recommend an exercise program, yet a recommendation alone may not be enough to change behavior. Our study determined whether adding an exercise DVD to an oncologist’s recommendation to exercise led to better outcomes than a recommendation alone. Methods: Ninety breast cancer patients, at varying phases of treatment and stages of disease, were randomized to receive the following: an oncologist verbal recommendation to exercise (REC; n = 43) or REC plus a cancer-specific yoga DVD (REC + DVD; n = 47). Fatigue, vigor, and depression subscales of the Profile of Mood States, and physical activity levels (MET-min/week), exercise readiness, and self-efficacy were assessed at baseline, 4, and 8 weeks. Analyses controlled for age, time since diagnosis, and metastatic disease. Results: Over 8 weeks, women in REC + DVD used the DVD an average of twice per week. The REC + DVD group had greater reductions in fatigue (− 1.9 ± 5.0 vs. − 1.0 ± 3.5, p = 0.02), maintained exercise readiness (− 0.1 ± 1.1 vs. − 0.3 ± 1.3; p = 0.03), and reported less of a decrease in physical activity (− 420 ± 3075 vs. − 427 ± 5060 MET-min/week, p = 0.06) compared to REC only. Conclusions: A low-cost, easily distributed, and scalable yoga-based DVD could be a simple booster to an oncologist’s advice that motivates breast cancer patients, even those with advanced disease and/or in treatment, to engage in self-care, e.g., exercise, to manage fatigue. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03120819.
KW - Behavior change
KW - Cancer survivor
KW - Physical activity
KW - Self-management
KW - Symptom management
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U2 - 10.1007/s00520-017-3909-z
DO - 10.1007/s00520-017-3909-z
M3 - Article
C2 - 28965138
AN - SCOPUS:85030165388
SN - 0941-4355
VL - 26
SP - 905
EP - 912
JO - Supportive Care in Cancer
JF - Supportive Care in Cancer
IS - 3
ER -