Associations of health inequality factors with physical activity and sedentary behaviors in Korean cancer survivors

Background Although physical activity (PA) benefits cancer survivors physically and psychosocially, health inequality may limit these benefits in a subset of cancer survivors, and its association with PA in cancer survivors has not been investigated. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore PA levels with regard to health inequality factors (i.e., demographic and socioeconomic profiles) in Korean cancer survivors using the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Methods Data of 900 cancer survivors from the KNHANES in 2014–2017 were used. ANCOVA was used to determine differences in PA and sedentary behavior by healthy inequality factors. Logistic regression was used to estimate the associations of the health inequality factors with meeting the aerobic PA guidelines. Results Higher PA was reported in participants who were male ( p = 0.004), younger ( p = 0.006), and with higher education ( p = 0.003). In adjusted logistic regression models, females were 37% less likely to meet the guideline compared to males ( p = 0.045). Participants who were ≥ 70 years were 78% less likely to meet the guideline compared to < 50 years ( p < 0.001). Compared to participants who graduated from college/university, participants who graduated from high-, middle-, or elementary-school were 50% ( p = 0.005), 53% ( p = 0.023), and 71% ( p < 0.001) less likely to meet the guideline, respectively. Conclusions Lower PA was prevalent in cancer survivors who were female, older, and less educated. Systematic efforts to promote PA are required for targeted cancer subgroups.