The association between active participation in a sports club, physical activity and social network on the development of lung cancer in smokers: a case-control study

Anna Schmidt,Holger Pfaff,Elke Driller,Melanie Neumann,Julia Jung,Andrea Staratschek-Jox,Jürgen Wolf,Christian Schneider,Nicole Ernstmann

doi:10.1186/1756-0500-5-2

Abstract

BackgroundThis study analyses the effect of active participation in a sports club, physical activity and social networks on the development of lung cancer in patients who smoke. Our hypothesis is that study participants who lack social networks and do not actively participate in a sports club are at a greater risk for lung cancer than those who do.MethodsData for the study were taken from the Cologne Smoking Study (CoSmoS), a retrospective case-control study examining potential psychosocial risk factors for the development of lung cancer. Our sample consisted of n = 158 participants who had suffered lung cancer (diagnosis in the patient document) and n = 144 control group participants. Both groups had a history of smoking.Data on social networks were collected by asking participants whether they participated in a sports club and about the number of friends and relatives in their social environment. In addition, sociodemographic data (gender, age, education, marital status, residence and religion), physical activity and data on pack years (the cumulative number of cigarettes smoked by an individual, calculated by multiplying the number of cigarettes smoked per day by the number of years the person has smoked divided by 20) were collected to control for potential confounders. Logistic regression was used for the statistical analysis.ResultsThe results reveal that participants who are physically active are at a lower risk of lung cancer than those who are not (adjusted OR = 0.53*; CI = 0.29-0.97). Older age and lower education seem also to be risk factors for the development of lung cancer. The extent of smoking, furthermore, measured by pack years is statistically significant. Active participation in a sports club, number of friends and relatives had no statistically significant influence on the development of the cancer.ConclusionsThe results of the study suggest that there is a lower risk for physically active participants to develop lung cancer. In the study sample, physical activity seemed to have a greater protective effect than participation in a sports club or social network of friends and relatives. Further studies have to investigate in more detail physical activity and other club participations.

Highlights

This study analyses the effect of active participation in a sports club, physical activity and social networks on the development of lung cancer in patients who smoke
Study design and participants Data was collected from Cologne Smoking Study (CoSmoS), a multicentre case-control study examining genetic and psychosocial factors potentially leading to a higher risk for smokers of suffering a myocardial infarction, developing lung cancer and/or becoming addicted to nicotine
Descriptive findings Our sample consisted of n = 302 participants with a history of smoking, of whom n = 158 were lung cancer patients and 144 were control group patients

Summary

Introduction

This study analyses the effect of active participation in a sports club, physical activity and social networks on the development of lung cancer in patients who smoke. Our hypothesis is that study participants who lack social networks and do not actively participate in a sports club are at a greater risk for lung cancer than those who do. Most lung cancer patients are smokers, only approximately 10-15% of all smokers get the disease [9] This suggests that individual genetic or psychosocial factors may enhance or inhibit the noxious effects of smoking on the disease’s development [10]. There is little evidence that psychosocial factors like an intact social network has a positive effect on health and could have a preventive effect on the development of cancer [11]

Methods

Results

Conclusion