Abstract
Background: People with cancer often report high levels of negative psychological symptoms and poor perception of health due to cancer treatment and activity limitations. Prior studies have suggested that participation in leisure time physical activity (LTPA) can reduce negative psychological symptoms and improve health perception. However, a few studies have examined the contribution of LTPA to health benefits among people with cancer. Thus, we aimed to examine how a different level of LTPA engagement contributed to mental health and health perceptions among people with cancer. Methods: Using the 2017 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) data, cross sectional data of 504 respondents diagnosed with any types of 22 cancers listed in the survey questionnaire were analyzed. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to test for mean differences in mental health and health perception among the three different LTPA groups(i.e., inactive, moderately active, and vigorously active groups). Results: Results indicated that people with cancer who reported higher levels of LTPA scored higher on mental health and health perception than those with lower levels of LTPA (Pillai’s trace= 0.060, F (4,944) = 15.06, P < 0.001). Conclusion: This finding suggests that individuals with cancer gained more health benefits through high engagement in LTPA. Moreover, we suggested that LTPA can be used as an important therapeutic intervention to promote health quality and wellbeing among people with cancer. Implications for practical suggestions are further discussed.
Highlights
Cancer has become a global public health concern, as it is the leading or second leading cause of death in many countries.[1]
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), in 2018, 17 million people were diagnosed with cancer worldwide, and it is expected to grow to 27.5 million people by 2040.2 As the number of people diagnosed with cancer has continued to rise, public health researchers have gained more interest in health promotion and quality of life for people with cancer
We found that the outcome variables of interest were moderately correlated (r = 0.38) and, decided to use a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) to test for differences in mental health and health perception among the three different leisure time physical activity (LTPA) groups
Summary
Cancer has become a global public health concern, as it is the leading or second leading cause of death in many countries.[1] According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), in 2018, 17 million people were diagnosed with cancer worldwide, and it is expected to grow to 27.5 million people by 2040.2 As the number of people diagnosed with cancer has continued to rise, public health researchers have gained more interest in health promotion and quality of life for people with cancer. Prior research has suggested that people with cancer tend to experience negative psychological symptoms, such as fear, anxiety, and depression.[3,4] Due to negative psychological symptoms, people with cancer have reported poorer health perception and diminished quality of life.[5,6] For example, Eng and colleagues[7] found that nearly 40% of breast cancer patients showed poor self-rated health.
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