Motivating Older Adults with Cancer to Keep Moving: the Implications of Lifestyle Interventions on Physical Activity

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The purposes of this review are to describe the unique needs and preferences of older adults with cancer regarding physical activity and to outline the essential characteristics associated with increased physical activity resulting from lifestyle interventions in older adults.

RECENT FINDINGS

Functional decline is accelerated in inactive and sedentary older adults. Even a modest increase in physical activity can improve physical function for older cancer survivors. Participation in physical activity is influenced by diverse individual-level factors, behavioral characteristics and skills and social and environmental factors. Thus, programs that are tailored to older adults' preferences provide social support and remove obstacles to participation may be more effective, particularly for older adults with low physical activity and sedentary lifestyle.

Predictors of initial weight loss among women with abdominal obesity: a path model using self-efficacy and health-promoting behaviour

AIM

To identify predictors of initial weight loss among women with abdominal obesity by using a path model.

BACKGROUND

Successful weight loss in the initial stages of long-term weight management may promote weight loss maintenance.

DESIGN

A longitudinal study design.

METHODS

Study participants were 75 women with abdominal obesity, who were enrolled in a 12-month Community-based Heart and Weight Management Trial and followed until a 6-month assessment. The Weight Efficacy Lifestyle, Exercise Self-Efficacy and Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II measured diet self-efficacy, exercise self-efficacy and health-promoting behaviour respectively. All endogenous and exogenous variables used in our path model were change variables from baseline to 6 months. Data were collected between May 2011-May 2012.

FINDINGS

Based on the path model, increases in both diet and exercise self-efficacy had significant effects on increases in health-promoting behaviour. Increases in diet self-efficacy had a significant indirect effect on initial weight loss via increases in health-promoting behaviour. Increases in health-promoting behaviour had a significant effect on initial weight loss.

CONCLUSION

Among women with abdominal obesity, increased diet self-efficacy and health-promoting behaviour were predictors of initial weight loss. A mechanism by which increased diet self-efficacy predicts initial weight loss may be partially attributable to health-promoting behavioural change. However, more work is still needed to verify causality. Based on the current findings, intensive nursing strategies for increasing self-efficacy for weight control and health-promoting behaviour may be essential components for better weight loss in the initial stage of a weight management intervention.

Appropriate use of complementary and alternative medicine approaches in gynecologic cancers

OPINION STATEMENT

Gynecologic cancer patients frequently desire alternative and/or complementary interventions or medicines to aid in relief of both cancer-related and treatment-related side effects. Furthermore, women also seek treatment to aid in superior outcomes and cure rates. Unfortunately, evidence suggests that the use of complementary and/or alternative medicine (CAM) is underreported or not discussed with physicians providing cancer care. In gynecologic cancer literature, there is a lack of scientific evidence either supporting or negating CAM. Because of the lack of information available, health care providers do not have good information regarding safety, efficacy, and dose of CAM. This leads to miscommunication or absence of communication between providers and patients. Because patients do use CAM to improve quality of life (QOL) during and after treatment, it would be educational for providers to know the specific QOL deficits among patients that require attention. Thus, with the ultimate goal of improving QOL for gynecologic cancer patients, providers should be pushed to investigate CAM and determine an honest support or rejection of these therapies.