Abstract 5039: Physical activity is associated with improved quality of life in cancer survivors: A population-based analysis
Authors: Tewari Apoorva , Irwin Melinda , Chagpar Anees 
Published: May 2015

Introduction: The CDC recommends cancer survivors engage in 150 minutes of moderate- or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity, along with 2 sessions of strength training, every week. We sought to determine whether meeting these guidelines was correlated with improved quality of life in a large contemporary population-based sample of cancer survivors.

Methods: Data regarding quality of life, physical activity and other covariates were obtained from the 2010 National Health Interview Survey, the largest source of health information of people in the United States. Quality of life was determined by the answer to the question, “In general, would you say your quality of life is…”, with potential responses of “excellent”, “very good”, “good”, “fair” and “poor”. Correlation between meeting CDC guidelines and self-reported quality of life was assessed with univariate and multivariate analyses using SUDAAN software.

Results: A weighted total of 19,441,052 cancer survivors in the United States were included in this analysis. Only 10.4% of cancer survivors met physical activity guidelines. Meeting guidelines was significantly correlated with White race, young age, cancer type, higher education, and private insurance on univariate analysis (all p&lt;0.01). Meeting guidelines was also correlated with decreased fatigue and higher self-reported quality of life, physical health, mental health status, and reported satisfaction with social activities and relationships (all p&lt;0.01). On multivariate analysis controlling for race, age, sex, cancer type, education, and insurance, meeting physical activity guidelines remained significantly correlated with higher quality of life (OR=3.69, 95% CI: 1.2-11.6, p=0.03).

Conclusions: Only 10.4% of cancer survivors meet physical activity guidelines. Meeting guidelines is significantly associated with improved quality of life, independent of other sociodemographic factors, and should therefore be encouraged.

Multivariate analysis for “good-excellent” quality of lifeParameterOdds Ratio (95% CI)P-value Met physical activity guidelinesYes3.69 (1.2-11.6)0.03 No1.00RaceWhite1.000.34 Black0.84 (0.53-1.34)Asian0.42 (0.16-1.10)Hispanic0.96 (0.60-1.56Other0.48 (0.12-1.85)Age&lt;401.000.01 40-600.58 (0.31-1.09&gt;601.43 (0.70-2.89)SexMale1.000.07 Female1.48 (.97-2.27)Cancer typeBreast1.000.09 Cervical1.03 (0.49-2.19)Colorectal0.85 (0.42-1.71)Lung0.37 (0.17-.79)Lymphoma/Leukemia0.75 (0.34-1.65)Melanoma1.08 (0.47-2.48)Ovarian0.79 (0.19-3.22)Prostate1.59 (0.71-3.56)Thyroid0.42 (0.11-1.60)Uterine0.91 (0.44-1.86Other1.15 (0.73-1.84)Education level&lt;Grade 121.00&lt;0.01 High School Grad1.51 (1.02-2.23)Associate Degree2.82 (1.78-4.46)Bachelor's Degree4.83 (2.55-9.14)Master's Degree3.66 (1.64-8.16Professional/Doctorate6.31 (1.61-24.78)Insurance statusNone1.00&lt;0.01 Medicare0.86 (0.41-1.78)Medicaid0.64 (0.32-1.28)Military0.56 (0.21-1.51Private3.08 (1.59-5.97)

Citation Format: Apoorva Tewari, Melinda Irwin, Anees Chagpar. Physical activity is associated with improved quality of life in cancer survivors: A population-based analysis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 5039. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-5039