Physical activity levels among long-term cancer survivors of more than 5 years: a propensity score matching analysis

Abstract

Purpose: As both the number of long-term cancer survivors and cases of late cancer recurrence increased, understanding aspects of lifestyle, such as participation in physical activity (PA), is of importance among long-term cancer survivors. This study aimed to investigate PA levels among long-term cancer survivors compared with age-, sex-, and body mass index (BMI)-matched non-cancer participants.

Methods: The study analyzed data from 648 cancer survivors (66% female, average age of 60.0 ± 10.9 years) who visited the Cancer Prevention Center, Yonsei Cancer Center, between 2015 and 2022. A total of 3240 participants were randomly selected from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2000-2020) using propensity score matching based on age, sex, and BMI.

Results: Among long-term cancer survivors, the majority of participants were survivors of colorectal (43.1%), gastric (23.8%), and breast cancer (24.1%). Long-term cancer survivors participated more in moderate-to-vigorous leisure-time PA (106.2 ± 244.3 vs. 47.3 ± 135.8 min/week, P < 0.05), transportation PA (130.3 ± 231.8 vs. 101.2 ± 174.9 min/week, P < 0.05), and total walking time (311.4 ± 380.1 vs. 227.6 ± 347.7 min/week, P < 0.05) compared with matched non-cancer participants. However, long-term cancer survivors were less likely to participate in less resistance exercises (0.7 ± 1.8 vs. 1.5 ± 1.5 day/week, P < 0.05) compared with the non-cancer matched participants. Although long-term cancer survivors are generally more physically active, a significant proportion of long-term cancer survivors (76.1%) still did not meet the PA guidelines for moderate-intensity aerobic exercise.

Conclusion: Although long-term cancer survivors participated in more PA compared to the matched non-cancer participants, the majority of long-term cancer survivors still do not meet the PA guidelines, suggesting that further strategies to increase PA are required.