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Potential determinants of physical inactivity among long-term colorectal cancer survivors

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Journal of Cancer Survivorship Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Since physical activity (PA) has been shown to be associated with better prognosis and quality of life (QOL) in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients, this study focuses on the barriers of PA among CRC survivors.

Methods

This study is based on a population-based study from Germany of 1343 women and men, diagnosed with CRC between 2003 and 2008 and being alive five years later. Multivariable logistic regression was used to explore associations between baseline as well as five-year follow-up (5YFU) characteristics and physical inactivity (PIA) at 5YFU. Quartiles were calculated based on metabolic equivalent hours per week of PA at baseline and at 5YFU. Participants in quartile 1 were defined as physically inactive, and patients in quartile 2 to quartile 4 were defined as physically active.

Results

Cancer-specific factors such as having a stoma (odds ratio (OR) = 1.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.12–2.04), demographic factors such as living in a small town or city (OR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.05–2.02; OR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.01–2.02), older age (OR = 1.44, 95% CI = 0.80–2.58), or being divorced (OR = 1.72, 95% CI = 0.96–3.07), as well as lifestyle factors such as being a current smoker (OR = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.04–2.29) or being obese (OR = 1.43, 95% CI = 0.96–2.13) were associated with PIA at 5YFU. Subgroup analyses showed that the association between body mass index  and PIA was stronger in women than in men. Baseline PA was identified as a strong predictor of PIA at 5YFU.

Conclusions

Findings suggest that predominately patients with a stoma, patients living in a more populated area, being older, divorced, a current smoker, or obese were more likely to be physically inactive and therefore could be targeted to be more physically active.

Implications for Cancer Survivors

Addressing barriers for PA might help to develop specific, individually tailored PA interventions to overcome PIA and improve the long-term outcome of CRC survivors.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Ute Handte-Daub, Ansgar Brandhorst, and Petra Bächer for their excellent technical assistance. The authors thank the study participants and the interviewers who collected the data. The authors also thank the following hospitals and cooperating institutions that recruited patients for this study: Chirurgische Universitätsklinik Heidelberg, Klinik am Gesundbrunnen Heilbronn, St. Vincentiuskrankenhaus Speyer, St. Josefskrankenhaus Heidelberg, Chirurgische Universitätsklinik Mannheim, Diakonissenkrankenhaus Speyer, Krankenhaus Salem Heidelberg, Kreiskrankenhaus Schwetzingen, St. Marienkrankenhaus Ludwigshafen, Klinikum Ludwigshafen, Stadtklinik Frankenthal, Diakoniekrankenhaus Mannheim, Kreiskrankenhaus Sinsheim, Klinikum am Plattenwald Bad Friedrichshall, Kreiskrankenhaus Weinheim, Kreiskrankenhaus Eberbach, Kreiskrankenhaus Buchen, Kreiskrankenhaus Mosbach, Enddarmzentrum Mannheim, Kreiskrankenhaus Brackenheim, and Cancer Registry of Rhineland-Palatinate, Mainz.

Funding

This work was supported by the German Research Council (BR 1704/6-1, BR 1704/6-3, BR 1704/6-4, CH 117/1-1) and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (01KH0404, 01ER0814, 01ER0815, 01ER1505A, and 01ER1505B).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Clinical Epidemiology and Aging Research, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 581, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany

    Ruth Elisa Eyl, Lena Koch-Gallenkamp, Lina Jansen, Viola Walter, Prudence Carr, Michael Hoffmeister & Hermann Brenner

  2. Medical Faculty Heidelberg, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 672, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany

    Ruth Elisa Eyl

  3. Unit of Genetic Epidemiology, Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 581, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany

    Jenny Chang-Claude

  4. Division of Preventive Oncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Im Neuenheimer Feld 460, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany

    Hermann Brenner

  5. German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany

    Hermann Brenner

  6. Unit of Cancer Survivorship, Division of Clinical Epidemiology and Aging Research, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 581, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany

    Volker Arndt

Authors
  1. Ruth Elisa Eyl
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  2. Lena Koch-Gallenkamp
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  3. Lina Jansen
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  4. Viola Walter
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  5. Prudence Carr
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  6. Michael Hoffmeister
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  7. Jenny Chang-Claude
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  8. Hermann Brenner
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  9. Volker Arndt
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Correspondence to Volker Arndt.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Eyl, R.E., Koch-Gallenkamp, L., Jansen, L. et al. Potential determinants of physical inactivity among long-term colorectal cancer survivors. J Cancer Surviv 12, 679–690 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-018-0705-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-018-0705-9

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