Abstract
BackgroundIncreased exercise and physical activity levels are recommended throughout cancer therapy and survivorship. Nonetheless, the COVID-19 pandemic and consequent social distancing are likely to cause a decline in physical activity.Objectiveto evaluate the level of unsupervised physical activity of breast cancer survivors during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the factors associated with difficulties in engaging and maintaining recommended physical activity levels.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional epidemiological study with a sample of 37 breast cancer survivors. They participated in a canoeing training program (project Remama) at the University of São Paulo before the COVID-19 pandemic. Socioeconomic aspects, engagement in physical activity, motivation, and potential exposure to COVID-19 were investigated through an online survey, administered in September of 2020.ResultsDuring the pandemic, participants increased their body weight (5 ± 3.4 kg); 90% reported decreasing physical activity levels associated with increased sedentary time. Twenty-one (58%) participants exhibited some COVID-19-related symptoms, most used public transportation (59%), or returned to work during the period of a high incidence of COVID-19. The only factor associated with perceived difficulty in engaging in physical activities was having had more than three cancer treatments (RR: 2.14; 95% CI: 1.07–4.27).ConclusionThe COVID-19 pandemic led to a group of previously active breast cancer survivors to decrease their physical activity, gain weight, and have sedentary behavior. Specific tailored-care interventions are needed to prevent these occurrences, as overweight and physical inactivity may impose an additional risk for breast cancer recurrence and a severe course of COVID-19 in cancer patients.
Highlights
A series of pneumonia cases of unknown etiology was reported in the city of Wuhan, China, in late 2019 (Xu et al, 2020)
The present study aimed to evaluate the level of unsupervised physical activity of breast cancer survivors during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the factors associated with difficulties in engaging and maintaining recommended physical activity levels
All subjects of this study participate in a group canoeing training project called Remama at the University of São Paulo, in which they are longitudinally followed-up
Summary
A series of pneumonia cases of unknown etiology was reported in the city of Wuhan, China, in late 2019 (Xu et al, 2020). By sequencing a patient’s lower respiratory tract, a new virus was identified called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its disease, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). It rapidly spread across countries and a new pandemic was declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2020. COVID-19 reached a mark of 20,162,474 cases and 737417 deaths globally in August of 2020 (World Health Organization, 2020). From that date until August 8, 2020, 3,012,412 cases were confirmed, and 100,477 deaths occurred as a result of COVID-19 in the country (Ministério da Saúde, 2020). The COVID-19 pandemic and consequent social distancing are likely to cause a decline in physical activity
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