Cancer Nurs. 2024 Aug 1. doi: 10.1097/NCC.0000000000001389. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The low levels of physical activity in childhood cancer survivors have increasingly garnered attention from nursing scholars. Exercise-related worry is a prominent barrier, yet the understanding of such experiences among childhood cancer survivors and their primary caregivers remains scarce.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to further understand the factors contributing to exercise-related worry from the perspective of childhood cancer survivors and their primary caregivers.
METHODS: In this qualitative study, we conducted face-to-face semistructured interviews with childhood cancer survivors (n = 20) and carers (n = 20) in 2 hospitals in China. The interviews were analyzed according to thematic analysis.
RESULTS: Two main themes and 8 subthemes emerged: (1) internal factors: changes in the perception of physical activity (threat perception from the disease, active avoidance of stressful events, lack of safety due to past experiences), and (2) external factors: weak support system (limited peer support, family strength, feeling abandoned by the tumor team, reintegration into school, external environmental constraints). In summary, exercise-related worry is from internal factors and can be influenced by external factors.
CONCLUSION: There are various factors contributing to the concerns of exercise in childhood cancer survivors, which may be a key factor for their significantly lower levels of physical activity compared to guideline recommendations.
IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The findings of this study call for healthcare professionals to provide additional assistance for childhood cancer survivors with exercise-related worry and establish personalized mechanisms for supporting physical activity in pediatric cancer survivors within the Chinese healthcare system.
PMID:39106446 | DOI:10.1097/NCC.0000000000001389
