Fatigue ; Physical fitness ; Emotions ; Video exercise program
Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a home-based video exercise program on cancer-related fatigue, physiological and psychological status in patients with colon and rectal cancers undergoing chemotherapy. Methods: The study design was a non-equivalent control group non-synchronized design. Data were collected from patients with colo-rectal cancers in Yonsei cancer center from July 5th to October 31st in 2011. There were 40 participants; 20 in the experimental group and 20 in the control group. The structured questionnaire was used to measure fatigue, physical function and emotional status. Data were analyzed using SPSS 18.0 and a chi-squre test, Fisher`s exact test, Mann-Whitney U test and Wilcoxon signed- rank test were conducted to examine the homogeneity and the research hypotheses. Results: There was a statistically significant difference in White Blood Cell count in the experimental group compared with that of the control group. The exercise group showed a slight decrease of White Blood Cell count compared with that of the control group after 4 week program (z=-2.935, p=.003). However, there were no significant differences in fatigue, physiological and psychological status between the two groups. Conclusion: In this study, the developed video exercise program was effective in markedly slightly decreasing White Blood Cell count in patients with colo-rectal cancers undergoing chemotherapy. Therefore, utilizing the video exercise program can be an useful method to promote health among patients with cancer in clinical practice.