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Increasing physical activity among older adults with gynecologic cancers: a qualitative study

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of older gynecologic cancer patients’ preferences and opinions related to physical activity during chemotherapy, including interventions to promote physical activity.

Methods

Gynecologic cancer patients 60 years or older receiving chemotherapy at a single institution within the last 12 months completed questionnaires and a semi-structured interview asking about their preferences for physical activity interventions aimed at promoting physical activity while receiving treatment.

Results

Among the 30 gynecologic cancer patients surveyed and interviewed, a majority agreed with the potential usefulness of a physical activity intervention during chemotherapy (67%) and most reported they would be willing to use an activity tracker during chemotherapy (73%). They expressed a preference for an aerobic activity intervention such as walking, indicated a desire for education from their clinical team on the effects physical activity can have on treatment symptoms, and stated a need for an intervention that could be accessed from anywhere and anytime. Additionally, they emphasized a need for an intervention that considered their treatment symptoms as these were a significant barrier to physical activity while on chemotherapy.

Conclusion

In this study of older gynecologic cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, most were open to participating in a virtually accessible and symptom-tailored physical activity intervention to promote physical activity during chemotherapy.

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Funding

Funding was provided for this study in part by the National Institute on Aging (1R03 AG074031-01 and 1R01 AG081291).

Author information

Author notes

  1. Brenda Vega and Ria Desai contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 250 E Superior Suite 05-138, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA

    Brenda Vega & Emma L. Barber

  2. Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA

    Ria Desai & Payton Solk

  3. Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA

    June M. McKoy, Ann Marie Flores & Emma L. Barber

  4. Division of Geriatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA

    June M. McKoy

  5. Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA

    Ann Marie Flores

  6. Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA

    Ann Marie Flores

  7. Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA

    Siobhan M. Phillips

Authors
  1. Brenda Vega
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  2. Ria Desai
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  3. Payton Solk
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  4. June M. McKoy
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  5. Ann Marie Flores
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  6. Siobhan M. Phillips
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  7. Emma L. Barber
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by B.V., R.D., and E.B. The first draft of the manuscript was written by B.V. and R.D. and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Emma L. Barber.

Ethics declarations

Ethical approval

All procedures were approved by the Northwestern University Institutional Review Board (STU00216800) and written participant consent was obtained prior to study participation.

Competing interests

This work was supported in part by the National Institute on Aging (1R03 AG074031-01 and 1R01 AG081291) and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chicago, IL, USA. Ria Desai’s work on this project was supported by a Summer Undergraduate Research Grant from the Northwestern University Office of Undergraduate Research, Evanston, IL.

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Vega, B., Desai, R., Solk, P. et al. Increasing physical activity among older adults with gynecologic cancers: a qualitative study. Support Care Cancer 32, 282 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-024-08483-6

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