| Background: The health benefits of physical activity (PA) have been established in cancer survivors, however, no research to date has focused on kidney cancer survivors (KCS). Purpose: The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the benefits and determinants of PA in KCS, and to develop a behaviour change intervention to promote PA in this population. Methods: Study 1 was a population-based, mailed survey of 703 KCS, which consisted of measures of self-reported PA, quality of life (QoL), sedentary behaviour, the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), and PA preferences. Study 2 examined the feasibility of adding behavioural counselling to a standard supervised exercise program in 32 KCS. The primary outcome was changes in self-reported PA. Secondary outcomes included QoL, motivational outcomes, physical function, anthropometric measures, and cardiorespiratory fitness. Results: In Paper 1 from Study 1, 56.3% of KCS were completely sedentary and only 26.0% were meeting public health guidelines. Moreover, there was a steep dose-response association between PA and most QoL outcomes. In Paper 2 from Study 1, there were very few associations between sitting time and QoL in KCS. In Paper 3 from Study 1, some common PA preferences for KCS were to: receive information from a fitness expert at a cancer centre (55.7%), start a PA program after treatment (36.5%), and do moderate intensity PA (58.4%). In Paper 4 from Study 1, PA was strongly associated with planning and intention which, in turn, were strongly associated with PBC, instrumental attitude, and descriptive norm. In Paper 1 from Study 2, the TRACKS trial was feasible and resulted in modest improvements in PA minutes for the supervised PA plus behavioural counselling group (SPA+BC) group compared to the supervised PA plus exercise counselling (SPA+EC) group. In Paper 2 from Study 2, KCS in the SPA+BC group reported significantly higher planning, perceived control, and self-efficacy compared to SPA+EC. Conclusions: PA has a strong association with QoL including potential gains even for small amounts of PA. Adding behavioural counselling to supervised PA in a behaviour change trial is feasible and may result in meaningful improvements in PA and fitness outcomes in KCS. |
