The impact of leisure time physical activity on mental health and health perception among people with cancer

Effect of logotherapy counseling program on chronic sorrow, dignity, and meaning in life of palliative care patients: a randomized controlled trial

PURPOSE

Palliative care patients experience chronic sorrow with loss in dignity and meaning in life. Logotherapy is an effective way to cope with loss. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of logotherapy on chronic sorrow, dignity, and meaning in life of palliative care patients.

METHODS

This study was conducted with 58 adults hospitalized due to advanced cancer and assigned to either intervention or control group by simple randomization. Data were collected with descriptive information form, Palliative Performance Scale, Patient Dignity Inventory (PDI), Prolonged Grief Disorder Scale-Patient Form (PGDS-PF), and Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MIL) on admission, at the 4th and 8th weeks. The intervention group received eight sessions of logotherapy. The control group received routine care.

RESULTS

The mean scores of PGDS-PF (p = 0.01), PDI (p = 0.01), and searched meaning subdimension of MIL (MIL-SM) (p = 0.11) decreased in the intervention group compared to controls, both at the 4th and 8th week evaluation. The mean score of the present meaning subdimension of MIL (MIL-PM) (p = 0.02) increased at the 4th week evaluation but decreased at a non-statistically significant level at the 8th week. The mean scores of PGDS-PF and PDI increased in the control group while MIL-PM and MIL-SM decreased, both at the 4th and 8th week evaluation.

CONCLUSIONS

Logotherapy was found effective in decreasing the sorrow and dignity-related distress of palliative care patients, while increasing finding meaning in life. Logotherapy is recommended to be used by palliative care professionals to empower patients.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Clinicaltrials registration number and date: NCT05129059, 19/01/2021.

Cross-sectional study of physical activity among long-term melanoma survivors and population controls

Physical activity has been associated with improved outcomes among cancer survivors of various malignancies; however, this topic is understudied among melanoma survivors. Our objective was to determine whether long-term melanoma survivors are less likely to meet American Cancer Society physical activity guidelines than non-melanoma population controls. We conducted a cross-sectional survey in 2015 to follow up participants from a case-control study of melanoma and population controls in Minnesota. The primary outcome was meeting American Cancer Society recommendations for healthy physical activity levels. Physical activity, sun protection practices and time spent outside were compared between survivors and controls using generalized linear regression models. Melanoma survivors (N = 724) and controls (N = 639) were similar with the exceptions of daily hours spent outside, sun protection scores, skin tone, and smoking status. Half (50.8%) of melanoma survivors reported meeting the physical activity guidelines, compared to 39.7% of controls (p < 0.0001), with an 11% (95% CI 0.05-0.17) difference after adjusting for potential confounders. While long-term melanoma survivors were more likely to meet American Cancer Society physical activity guidelines than population controls, nearly 50% did not meet recommendations. This finding is concerning given the known improvements in quality of life and survival among physically active cancer survivors. Opportunities remain to promote physical activity among melanoma survivors. Health communications that promote outdoor exercise, in particular, should include advice about sun protection.

Participation in leisure activities and quality of life of people with psychosis in England: a multi-site cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Leisure activities can improve quality of life in the general population. For people with psychosis, negative symptoms (e.g. being unmotivated, difficulty in sticking with activities) are often a barrier to engaging in social leisure activities. However, we do not know if participation in leisure activities is associated with quality of life in this group and, whether psychosocial interventions should aim to increase leisure activities.

AIM

This study investigates participation in social leisure activities of people with psychosis and whether their participation is associated with better quality of life.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 6 NHS mental health trusts. Adults aged 18-65 (N = 533) with a diagnosis of a psychosis-related condition (ICD-10 F20-29) were recruited from outpatient secondary mental health services. Several measures were used including an adapted version of the Time Use Survey (TUS), the Social contacts assessment (SCA) and Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of Life (MANSA). A Structural Equation Model (SEM) was used to explore the relationships between participation in leisure activities and quality of life, and whether social contacts mediated the link.

RESULTS

Participants attended an average of 2.42 (SD = 1.47) leisure activities in the last 7 days. Their quality of life increased with the number of leisure activities they attended. Participation in leisure activities was positively associated with quality of life in people with psychosis (B = 0.104, SE = 0.051, p = 0.042, 95% CI [0.003 to 0.204]). Leisure activities predicted social contacts, but the link between social contacts and the quality of life was not significant. After controlling for sociodemographic factors, being female and unemployed were negatively linked with quality of life (B = - 0.101, SE = 0.048, p = 0.036, 95% CI [- 0.196 to - 0.006; B = - 0.207, SE = 0.050, p = 0.001, 95% CI [- 0.305 to - 0.108, respectively].

CONCLUSION

People with psychosis who attend more leisure activities have a higher quality of life. Quality of life was lower amongst female and unemployed participants who attended leisure activities. Intervention which helps improve participation in leisure activities may be beneficial for people with psychosis. Trial registration number ISRCTN15815862.

Different Levels of Leisure-time Physical Activity, Coping, and Mental Health among Older Adults with Diabetes during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: The COVID-19 has led public health researchers to try to improve mental health among older adults with diabetes. Leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) has emerged as a means of coping with mental health difficulties in the pandemic. Methods: We extracted 301 respondents from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) based on the following criteria: over 50 years old and the onset of diabetes. We used multiple questionnaire items to assess mental health (ie, loneliness, happiness, and positive and negative affect) for older adults with diabetes. We used multivariate analysis of variance to investigate the relationships between the fixed variable (ie, LTPA) and outcome variables (ie, mental health). We categorized LTPA participation into 3 groups (ie, low, mid, and high) and examined mental health following various levels of LTPA participation. Results: LTPA participation showed a significant group mean differences for loneliness, happiness, and positive affect, but not for negative affect. High-LTPA respondents presented lower loneliness and higher happiness than low-LTPA respondents. High-LTPA and mid-LTPA respondents indicated higher positive affect than low-LTPA respondents. Conclusions: This study provides evidence of the benefits of LTPA on mental health for older adults with diabetes and suggests that high-LPTA involvement can be effective in promoting mental health among older adults with diabetes in the COVID-19 era.