Determinants of Physical Activity in a Cohort of Prostate Cancer Survivors

Abstract

Background: Physical activity has been shown to improve overall health, improve cancer outcomes and reduce all-cause mortality as well as prostate cancer specific mortality after diagnosis, however a cancer diagnosis can often cause a change in physical activity patterns. Current guidelines recommend 150 minutes per week of physical activity and the determinants of meeting these guidelines before and after a prostate cancer diagnosis are widely unknown. Objectives: Our first objective was to examine the determinants of meeting physical activity guidelines at pre-diagnosis and three time-points post-diagnosis. Our second objective was to examine the determinants of patterns of meeting guidelines from pre-diagnosis to two years post-diagnosis. The final objective was to examine determinants of patterns of long-term physical activity behaviours from pre-diagnosis to an average measure of post-diagnosis physical activity. Methods: This prospective cohort study included 830 prostate cancer patients who participated in a population-based case-control study between November 1997 and December 2000 in Alberta, Canada. Pre-diagnosis activity levels were self-reported at diagnosis and again at three time points post-diagnosis. Demographic, quality of life and lifestyle variables were collected by questionnaires, while medical chart abstractions were performed to capture clinical variables. Results: Active smoking status, poor physical health and rural living location were commonly found to be statistically significantly associated with failing to meet physical activity guidelines in cross-sectional analyses and in analyses examining patterns of behaviour from pre- to post-diagnosis. Conclusions: Demographic, health and lifestyle variables are associated with meeting or not meeting physical activity guidelines from pre-diagnosis to post-diagnosis. Programming should be aimed at offering survivors support to overcome determinants associated with decline in physical activity patterns.