This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a colleague Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Save to my personal folders Download to citation manager Rights & Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Lynch, B. M. Articles by Aitken, J. F. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Lynch, B. M. Articles by Aitken, J. F. Social Bookmarking                            What's this?

Prospective Relationships of Physical Activity With Quality of Life Among Colorectal Cancer Survivors

Brigid M. Lynch, Ester Cerin, Neville Owen, Anna L. Hawkes, Joanne F. Aitken

From the Viertel Centre for Research in Cancer Control, The Cancer Council Queensland, and the Cancer Prevention Research Centre, School of Population Health, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; Institute of Human Performance, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; and the Children's Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX

Corresponding author: Brigid M. Lynch, PhD, Viertel Centre for Research in Cancer Control, The Cancer Council Queensland, 553 Gregory Terrace, Fortitude Valley 4006, Australia; e-mail: brigidlynch{at}cancerqld.org.au

Purpose Physical activity can enhance quality of life for cancer survivors. However, few longitudinal studies have examined whether physical activity has a sustained effect on improvements in quality of life. The present study aims to examine the relationships between physical activity and quality of life over 2 years after a colorectal cancer diagnosis.

Patients and Methods Data were collected within the Colorectal Cancer and Quality of Life Study, in which 1,966 people diagnosed with colorectal cancer were recruited through the Queensland Cancer Registry. Participants completed telephone interviews at approximately 6, 12, and 24 months after diagnosis. Generalized linear mixed models were used to estimate the overall, interindividual, and intraindividual level independent effects of participation in physical activity on quality of life.

Results There was an overall independent association between physical activity and quality of life. At a given time point, participants achieving at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week had an 18% higher quality of life score than those who reported no physical activity. Significant associations were also present at the interindividual level (differences between participants) and intraindividual level (within participant changes).

Conclusion These findings suggest that the positive association between physical activity and quality of life is consistent over time. Encouraging colorectal cancer survivors to be physically active may be a helpful strategy for enhancing quality of life.

Authors’ disclosures of potential conflicts of interest and author contributions are found at the end of this article.

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Facebook    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?