Abstract

Purpose: In cancer survivors, fatigue frequently attacks and impact patients" daily life, but is usually underreported. Physical activity can decelerate the disease progress and decreases the impact of fatigue, but in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients there were few literatures and without combining the issue of body weight loss or obesity after treatment. The purposes of this study were to explore the relationship between physical activity, body weight status, and cancer-related fatigue.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study design research and 144 HNC patients were recruited in outpatients center in medical center in Northern Taiwan after complete the treatment. Using Fatigue Symptom Inventory (FSI) and Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ) to be the interments and assessing by the senior nurses after agree to participant in the study.

Result: Most patients had good KPS (83.8±7.76) and were average completed the treatment 17.2 (± 13.8) months, but only 20.8% were in met the public health exercise recommendation. Even after the treatment, nearly 80% of patients still suffer from fatigue, and first three fatigue daily interference were "general level of activity" (1.6 ± 2.1), "normal work activity" (1.4 ± 2.0), and "mood" (1.3 ± 2.1). The patients met exercise recommendation (in activity group) with normal BMI (18 to 25) were had significant lower fatigue intensity (P = .01) and fatigue interferences (P= .002) than sedentary. The trend showed that the sedentary patients in normal weight or overweight had worst fatigue intensity, inference, and duration. With BMI<25, the patients had worst fatigue intensity, inference and duration than other participants.

Conclusion: Our study showed that the sedentary patients had worse fatigue than the patients with exercise, and the patients with BMI<18 may have worst fatigue than the other participants. We recommend the health care givers encourage the patients have regular exercise behavior after the treatment and long-term follow up their body weight to give specific practical nutritional intervention.

Author Details

Yuan-Yuan Fang, MS, RN; Yeur-Hur Lai

Sigma Membership

Unknown

Type

Poster

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

Cross-Sectional

Research Approach

Quantitative Research

Keywords:

Body Weight, Fatigue, Physical Activity

Conference Name

28th International Nursing Research Congress

Conference Host

Sigma Theta Tau International

Conference Location

Dublin, Ireland

Conference Year

2017

Rights Holder

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All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.

All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Acquisition

Proxy-submission

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Is cancer-related fatigue related to levels of physical activity and body weights in HNC survivors?

Dublin, Ireland

Purpose: In cancer survivors, fatigue frequently attacks and impact patients" daily life, but is usually underreported. Physical activity can decelerate the disease progress and decreases the impact of fatigue, but in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients there were few literatures and without combining the issue of body weight loss or obesity after treatment. The purposes of this study were to explore the relationship between physical activity, body weight status, and cancer-related fatigue.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study design research and 144 HNC patients were recruited in outpatients center in medical center in Northern Taiwan after complete the treatment. Using Fatigue Symptom Inventory (FSI) and Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ) to be the interments and assessing by the senior nurses after agree to participant in the study.

Result: Most patients had good KPS (83.8±7.76) and were average completed the treatment 17.2 (± 13.8) months, but only 20.8% were in met the public health exercise recommendation. Even after the treatment, nearly 80% of patients still suffer from fatigue, and first three fatigue daily interference were "general level of activity" (1.6 ± 2.1), "normal work activity" (1.4 ± 2.0), and "mood" (1.3 ± 2.1). The patients met exercise recommendation (in activity group) with normal BMI (18 to 25) were had significant lower fatigue intensity (P = .01) and fatigue interferences (P= .002) than sedentary. The trend showed that the sedentary patients in normal weight or overweight had worst fatigue intensity, inference, and duration. With BMI<25, the patients had worst fatigue intensity, inference and duration than other participants.

Conclusion: Our study showed that the sedentary patients had worse fatigue than the patients with exercise, and the patients with BMI<18 may have worst fatigue than the other participants. We recommend the health care givers encourage the patients have regular exercise behavior after the treatment and long-term follow up their body weight to give specific practical nutritional>intervention.