Effect of Group Dynamics–Based Exercise Versus Personal Training in Breast Cancer Survivors

2019 ◽  
pp. 185-197

Objectives: To determine the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a group dynamics–based exercise intervention versus a personal training intervention for increasing physical activity (PA), physical fitness, and quality of life (QOL) in post-treatment breast cancer survivors. Sample & Setting: 26 women with stage I or II breast cancer who attended intervention activities at a local academic institution. Methods & Vriables: Participants were randomly assigned to receive an eight-week intervention in either a group dynamics–based exercise or a personal training setting. Both intervention arms received supervised exercise twice per week, as well as PA education and discussion sessions. Results: Significant increases were noted in both intervention arms for vigorous PA, chest press, and leg press. Increases in overall QOL and total PA were significant only in the group dynamics–based exercise intervention arm. Implications for Nursing: The group dynamics–based exercise intervention produced similar improvements in PA and physical fitness compared to the personal training intervention, and it may have facilitated greater improvements in overall QOL.

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. 785-791
Author(s):  
Heather J. Leach ◽  
Katie B. Potter ◽  
Mary C. Hidde

Background: To maintain increases in physical activity (PA), interventions that implement group dynamics principles and strategies with the intent of enhancing group cohesion may be advantageous. This study examined group cohesion and PA following a group dynamics-based PA intervention among breast cancer survivors. Methods: The study was designed as a pilot randomized controlled trial comparing an 8-week group dynamics-based intervention with an individually supervised intervention. Group cohesion was measured by the Physical Activity Group Environment Questionnaire, and PA was measured at baseline, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up using a self-report questionnaire and pedometer. Results: Group cohesion levels were high following the intervention and positively associated with PA at 3-month follow-up (ranger = .182–.555). At 3-month follow-up, 91.7% of participants in the group-dynamics-based intervention (n = 12) were classified as moderately active or greater, compared with 54.5% in the individually supervised intervention (n = 11). Conclusions: These results suggest that, for breast cancer survivors, peer support and fostering group cohesion as part of an exercise program may help to support PA following the completion of a structured intervention. A larger trial with longer follow-up is needed to establish comparative efficacy for a group-dynamics-based exercise intervention to enhance long-term PA adherence in breast cancer survivors.


2011 ◽  
Vol 29 (27_suppl) ◽  
pp. 244-244
Author(s):  
E. M. Guinan ◽  
J. M. Hussey ◽  
J. M. Walsh ◽  
M. J. Kennedy ◽  
E. M. Connolly

244 Background: Current literature suggests that weight gain during treatment for breast cancer is associated with a poorer prognosis and an increased risk of developing secondary health problems such as the metabolic syndrome (MetSyn). Physical activity (PA) can alter features of the MetSyn and improve body composition by reducing abdominal adiposity. We report metabolic results of a prospective randomized controlled trial (PEACH trial; Walsh JM, et al. [2010] BMC Cancer. 10[42]) which examines the effect of an exercise intervention on the metabolic risk profile of breast cancer survivors 2-6 months post chemotherapy. Methods: All subjects gave written informed consent and were randomized to an 8-week, twice weekly aerobic exercise intervention programme or a usual care control group consisting of routine medical advice about PA. The five clinical features of the MetSyn were measured: waist circumference (WC), resting blood pressure (BP), triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and fasting glucose. Insulin resistance was estimated by the homeostatic model assessment (HOMA). Statistical analysis was carried out using independent sample t-tests with significance set at p < 0.05. Results: Twenty-six breast cancer survivors participated (mean (± SD) age 48.13 (8.75) years). At baseline, 50% (n = 13) of subjects were overweight and 23.1% (n = 6) were obese, with 73.1% (n = 19) centrally obese. 34.6% (n = 9) of subjects were classified with the MetSyn. There were no significant differences between groups at baseline. Intention-to-treat analysis showed no significant changes, however, analysis of those who adhered to > 70% of the supervised exercise intervention showed a significant improvement in WC when compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Results show that an 8-week aerobic exercise intervention significantly reduced WC but did not modify other features of the MetSyn. The decrease in WC demonstrated by this short intervention may have important implications in terms of improving survival and the metabolic risk profile of breast cancer survivors. Final follow-up assessments are ongoing and will enable change in WC over time to be evaluated further.


2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Hong

Objective Breast cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in women.The number of women diagnosed with breast cancer each year is also increasing.It is also the leading cause of cancer deaths in women, accounting for 14-23% of cancer deaths.However, with the development of medical technology, the survival rate of breast cancer patients is improving.In general, the treatment of breast cancer mainly includes surgical treatment, adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy,But these treatments can do a lot of damage to breast cancer patients.These injuries can limit some of the physical activity of breast cancer patients, and can be accompanied by significant psychological damage,Therefore, the quality of life of breast survivors is largely destroyed.Physical exercise is one of the important ways to improve the overall health of the human body.It also plays an important role in increasing people's mood and quality of life.So whether physical exercise has a positive impact on improving the quality of life of breast cancer survivors or there is some doubt.Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to explore the impact of physical exercise on the quality of life of breast cancer survivors, and then to prove the impact of supervised exercise and individual exercise on the quality of life of breast cancer survivors. Methods Data bases searched were MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PubMed.Keywords were“breast cancer and quality of life” in combination with “exercise”or “physical activity”.At the same time, the references of the included articles were reviewed to obtain more relevant studies.In terms of the criteria for inclusion and exclusion of literature, the paper was initially screened to determine whether the title and abstract of the paper were consistent with the research topic.The criteria for inclusion are ①the subjects were breast cancer survivors,②the type of intervention was physical exercise,③the measured result is quality of life,④the type of experiment is randomized controlled trial.The exclusion criteria of the article are ①the subject's occupation was athlete,②quality of life is not measured on a formal scale,③article type is review or abstract. Results A total of 14 articles are included in our review.Quality of life was measured using scale tools in all included studies, of which two scales were used in all included articles.The two scales used can reflect the real life quality of the subjects, of which FACT-G is a mass life quality scale and FACT-B is a life quality scale designed specifically for breast cancer patients. Both scales are globally recognized by the public.In our review, we found that exercise significantly improved the quality of life of breast cancer survivors, particularly aerobic exercise.In the studies included in our study, except Nanette et al. used aerobic exercise combined with resistance strength training as the intervention method in their study, all the other studies used aerobic exercise as the intervention method for the subjects.Among the 14 included studies, 10 indicated that physical exercise significantly increased the quality of life of breast cancer survivors, and 4 found that compared with the control group, the quality of life of breast cancer survivors did not have significant changes, but there was a trend of improving the quality of life.At the same time, our review found that monitoring breast cancer survivors improved quality of life.In two of the studies we included, subjects were divided into individual exercise groups and supervised exercise groups.In their study, Anne et al. divided the recruited research samples into the supervision intervention group and the routine control group. Among them, the supervision intervention group received physical exercise 5 times a week for 12 weeks, and the quality of life of breast cancer survivors was significantly improved.In the study of Cadmus et al., the subjects recruited were divided into individual exercise group, supervised exercise group and routine control group, and the exercise group performed physical exercise with the same load and frequency. The result was that there was no physical activity in the home individual exercise group or the routine control group that improved the quality of life for breast cancer survivors.However, in the supervised exercise group, breast cancer survivors' scores for FACT-B and SF-36 (a measure reflecting quality of life) were significantly improved. Conclusions Exercise can improve the quality of life for breast cancer survivors, especially aerobic exercise. Supervised exercise intervention for breast cancer survivors can better improve their quality of life and alleviate social and psychological problems than individual exercise.The supervised aerobic exercise can be integrated into the life of breast cancer survivors so as to better promote the recovery of breast cancer survivors.


2012 ◽  
Vol 20 (10) ◽  
pp. 2511-2521 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul D. Loprinzi ◽  
Bradley J. Cardinal ◽  
Qi Si ◽  
Jill A. Bennett ◽  
Kerri M. Winters-Stone

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