Abstract
Physical activity (PA) is important for managing the side effects and long-term outcomes of cancer treatment, yet many adolescents and young adults diagnosed with cancer (AYAs) are not meeting PA guidelines. Body image and social support are two factors that can influence PA behavior and require further attention in this population. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between body image, social support, and PA among AYAs. An online cross-sectional survey administered through the Research Electronic Data Capture platform was used to assess self-reported body image (body-related self-conscious emotions of appearance and fitness shame, guilt, authentic pride, and hubristic pride), social support (general and cancer-specific), and PA (mild, moderate-to-vigorous, and resistance exercise) in AYAs (N = 119; Mage = 34.5 ± 5.5 years). Based on findings from path analyses, body image and social support were directly associated with PA (R2 = 0.09–0.33). Social support was also directly associated with body image. However, there were no indirect effects. These findings provide preliminary support for the influential role of appearance and fitness body-related emotions and cancer-specific social support on PA. The results have important implications for the development of targeted strategies aimed at improving body image (e.g., cognitive dissonance and compassion-focused interventions) and social support (e.g., facilitating the provision of cancer-specific support), with the overall goal of increasing AYAs’ PA.
Highlights
Cancer in adolescents and young adults (AYAs; diagnosed between 15 and 39 years) accounts for approximately 5% of all new cases of cancer diagnosed each year in North America (American Cancer Society, 2019; Canadian Cancer Statistics Advisory Committee, 2019)
Based on previous research (Sabiston et al, 2010), guilt-free shame (GFS) was assessed as the standardized residual associated with predicting shame from guilt, while shame-free guilt (SFG) was assessed as the standardized residual associated with predicting guilt from shame
Findings demonstrate that social support is associated with mild Physical activity (PA) and moderateto-vigorous PA (MVPA), body-related emotions are associated with MVPA and resistance exercise, and social support is directly related to body-related emotions
Summary
Cancer in adolescents and young adults (AYAs; diagnosed between 15 and 39 years) accounts for approximately 5% of all new cases of cancer diagnosed each year in North America (American Cancer Society, 2019; Canadian Cancer Statistics Advisory Committee, 2019). With improvements in early screening and treatment, many AYAs are living 50–60 years after diagnosis (Lewis et al, 2014; Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, 2017). Cancer treatment can have significant acute and long-term effects on AYAs’ physical, psychological, and social health and well-being. Physical activity (PA) during and after cancer treatment is associated with many benefits including reduced adverse effects, mortality, and cancer recurrence (Bélanger et al, 2011; Baumann et al, 2013; Cormie et al, 2017; Brunet et al, 2018). About half of AYAs are inactive or insufficiently active, with PA levels declining from pre-diagnosis to during and post-treatment (Bélanger et al, 2011; Murnane et al, 2015). It is important to identify potential intervening factors that may help to improve AYAs’ PA levels and overall health and well-being
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