Abstract
Objective
To examine the effect of home- and community-based physical activity interventions
on physical functioning among cancer survivors based on the most prevalent physical
function measures, randomized trials were reviewed.
Data Sources
Five electronic databases—Medline Ovid, PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, and PsycINFO—were
searched from inception to March 2016 for relevant articles.
Study Selection
Search terms included community-based interventions, physical functioning, and cancer survivors. A reference librarian trained in systematic reviews conducted the final search.
Data Extraction
Four reviewers evaluated eligibility and 2 reviewers evaluated methodological quality.
Data were abstracted from studies that used the most prevalent physical function measurement
tools—Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey, Late-Life Function
and Disability Instrument, European Organisation for the Research and Treatment of
Cancer Quality-of-Life Questionnaire, and 6-minute walk test. Random- or fixed-effects
models were conducted to obtain overall effect size per physical function measure.
Data Synthesis
Fourteen studies met inclusion criteria and were used to compute standardized mean
differences using the inverse variance statistical method. The median sample size
was 83 participants. Most of the studies (n=7) were conducted among breast cancer
survivors. The interventions produced short-term positive effects on physical functioning,
with overall effect sizes ranging from small (.17; 95% confidence interval [CI], .07–.27)
to medium (.45; 95% CI, .23–.67). Community-based interventions that met in groups
and used behavioral change strategies produced the largest effect sizes.
Conclusions
Home and community-based physical activity interventions may be a potential tool to
combat functional deterioration among aging cancer survivors. More studies are needed
among other cancer types using clinically relevant objective functional measures (eg,
gait speed) to accelerate translation into the community and clinical practice.
Keywords
List of abbreviations:
CI (Confidence interval), EORTC QLQ-C30 (European Organisation for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality-of-Life Questionnaire–Core 30), LLFDI (Late-Life Function and Disability Instrument), SF-36 (Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey), 6MWT (6-minute walk test)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: April 17, 2017
Footnotes
Supported in part by the Comparative Effectiveness Research on Cancer in Texas grant (no. RP140020) from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas; the Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation Research Training Program (grant no. 90AR5009) from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research; a Mentored Research Scholar Grant in Applied and Clinical Research (grant no. MRSG-14-165-01-CPPB) from the American Cancer Society; the Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center (grant no. P30AG024832); the American Heart Association (grant no. 13BGIA17110021); and a Predoctoral Fellowship Grant from the American Heart Association (grant no. 16PRE27090012).
Protocol Registration No.: CRD42016036730. Protocol is registered on PROSPERO (www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/).
Disclosures: The study was funded in part by the Comparative Effectiveness Research on Cancer in Texas grant (RP140020) from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas and the Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation Research Training Program (90AR5009) from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. Z.H.L. is employed by Beachbody, a company that may potentially benefit from the research results. The other authors have nothing to disclose. This potential interest has been reviewed by UTMB's Conflicts of Interest Committee and a management plan implemented to prevent any appearance of a conflict of interest. Any inquiries regarding this management plan can be directed to UTMB's Office of Institutional Compliance, (409) 747-8701.
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© 2017 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine
