Abstract
PurposeWhile exercise has been shown to be beneficial in improving health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among cancer survivors, evidence is limited on the independent role of sedentary behavior. We examined how objectively measured sedentary time was associated with HRQOL among long-term cancer survivors.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 54 cancer survivors, on average 3.4 years postdiagnosis, who were enrolled into an exercise trial designed to improve cognitive function. At baseline, we measured sedentary time and moderate-vigorous intensity physical activity with the ActivPal, cardiorespiratory fitness with treadmill testing, and self-reported HRQOL with an established scale (SF-36). In multivariate models, we regressed HRQOL on sedentary time (percent of waking time spent sitting and lying).ResultsSurvivors with higher sedentary time had significantly poorer physical functioning (β = −0.50, p = 0.028), general health (β = −0.75, ptrend = 0.004), and physical summary scores (β = −0.34, p = 0.003). We did not observe associations between sedentary time and role-physical (p = 0.342), bodily-pain (p = 0.117), vitality (p = 0.095), social functioning (p = 0.407), role-emotional (p = 0.509), mental health (p = 0.494), or mental summary scores (p = 0.527).ConclusionIn this cross-sectional study of cancer survivors, we observed deleterious associations between sedentary time and aspects of physical HRQOL. Future prospective studies of sedentary time and HRQOL are needed to establish temporality and to facilitate the design of effective health promotion interventions for cancer survivors.
Highlights
It is estimated that over 14 million cancer survivors are living in the US today, and that this number will rise to 18 million by the year 2022 [1]
A recent roundtable by the American College of Sports Medicine concluded that exercise is safe during and after cancer treatment and results in improvements in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) [7]
One study on this topic found that self-reported television watching time was inversely related to functional wellbeing among colorectal cancer survivors [9], but another found that self-reported sedentary time was not related to HRQOL among breast cancer survivors [10]
Summary
It is estimated that over 14 million cancer survivors are living in the US today, and that this number will rise to 18 million by the year 2022 [1]. Worldwide is it estimated there are 28 million cancer survivors within 5 years of diagnosis [2]. Sedentary behavior —common behavior involving prolonged sitting or reclining that requires only low levels of energy expenditure— has been shown to have deleterious health consequences independent of the beneficial effects of exercise in general adult populations [8]. Little is known about the relationship between sedentary behavior and HRQOL among survivors. Because sedentary behavior can be feasibly modified in adults [11], there is a need for more research in this area to inform behavioral interventions for survivors
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