Abstract
BackgroundThe short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-sf) is a validated questionnaire used to assess physical activity (PA) in healthy adults and commonly used in both apparently healthy adults and cancer patients. However, the IPAQ-sf has not been previously validated in cancer patients undergoing oncologic treatment. The objective of the present study was to compare IPAQ-sf with objective measures of physical activity (PA) in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.MethodsThe present study was part of a 12-month prospective individualized lifestyle intervention focusing on diet, PA, stress management and smoking cessation in 100 cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. During the first two months of the lifestyle intervention, participants were wearing an activity monitor (SenseWear™ Armband (SWA)) for five consecutive days while receiving chemotherapy before completing the IPAQ-sf. From SWA, Moderate-to-Vigorous intensity PA (MVPA) in bouts ≥10 min was compared with self-reported MVPA from the IPAQ-sf. Analyses both included and excluded walking in MVPA from the IPAQ-sf. Results were extrapolated to a wearing time of seven days.ResultsSixty-six patients completed IPAQ-sf and wore the SWA over five days. Mean difference and limit of agreement between the IPAQ-sf and SWA including walking was 662 (±1719) min.wk−1. When analyzing time spent in the different intensity levels separately, IPAQ-sf reported significantly higher levels of moderate (602 min.wk−1, p = 0.001) and vigorous (60 min.wk−1, p = 0.001) PA compared to SWA.ConclusionsCancer patients participating in a lifestyle intervention during chemotherapy reported 366 % higher MVPA level from the past seven days using IPAQ-sf compared to objective measures. The IPAQ-sf appears insufficient when assessing PA level in cancer patients undergoing oncologic treatment. Activity monitors or other objective tools should alternatively be considered, when assessing PA in this population.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13102-016-0035-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
The short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-sf) is a validated questionnaire used to assess physical activity (PA) in healthy adults and commonly used in both apparently healthy adults and cancer patients
Cancer and its treatments are often associated with long-term impairment of physical, mental and psychosocial health and survivors are at risk of developing co-morbidities [4, 5]
To test if the international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ-sf) overestimated PA compared to SenseWearTM Armband (SWA), we applied a Wilcoxon signed-rank test for the absolute values for each activity monitor
Summary
The short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-sf) is a validated questionnaire used to assess physical activity (PA) in healthy adults and commonly used in both apparently healthy adults and cancer patients. Cancer patients should avoid inactivity, try to return to normal daily activities as soon as possible following diagnosis, and follow the general PA guidelines for aerobic and strength exercise. This recommendation is >150 min of moderate PA per week combined with strength training two days per week. The importance of individualizing these PA recommendations to the patient’s condition and preferences is pointed out, and it is emphasized that cancer patients may need to exercise at a lower intensity and/or for a shorter duration during their treatment [6]. These global PA recommendations are largely based on self-reports of cancer patients’ PA levels [6]
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