Physical activity interests and preferences in palliative cancer patients

Goals of the work The purpose of the present study was to examine the physical activity interests and preferences of palliative cancer patients. Patients and methods Fifty advanced cancer patients aged 18 years or older with clinician-estimated life expectancy of less than 12 months and Palliative Performance Scale greater than 30% were recruited from an outpatient palliative care clinic and a palliative home care program. An interviewer-administered survey was used to assess physical activity behavior, interests, and preferences. Main results The majority of palliative cancer patients in this sample indicated that they would be interested and felt able to participate in a physical activity program. There were strong preferences for home-based physical activity programs that could be completed alone. The majority of participants in this sample reported walking as the type of physical activity in which they were most interested. Conclusions These findings suggest that this sample of palliative cancer patients is interested and feel able to participate in a physical activity program. Examining these unique physical activity preferences may aid in the development of an appropriate physical activity program for palliative cancer patients that can be tested in clinical research.