Physical Activity Level and Exercise Barriers According to the Transtheoretical Model in Breast Cancer Patients

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to investigate the physical activity (PA) and exercise barriers of stages 0-3 breast cancer survivors according to the Transtheoretical Model (TTM).METHODS: This cross-sectional study that included data from a total of 295 breast cancer survivors (Age: 52.2±8.2 years, BMI: 23.5±3.3 kg/m2), at Shinchon Severance Hospital, Seoul, Korea. The levels of PA and exercise barriers according to TTM were investigated using questionnaires.RESULTS: PA participation increased in the TTM stage. The proportion of participants categorized according to TTM stage differed according to the time since cancer diagnosis: a higher proportion of participants were in pre-contemplation/contemplation within one year after diagnosis, while a higher proportion of participants were in maintenance after three three years since diagnosis. The five most prevalent exercise barriers were fatigue, low level of physical fitness, poor health, lack of interest, and tendency to be physically inactive. Fatigue is the most prevalent exercise barrier regardless of TTM stage, while most exercise barriers tend to reduce as participants are in the preparation/action and maintenance stages.CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we confirmed that the participants in the maintenance stage were the most active, while the proportion of participants in the TTM stage varied according to time since diagnosis. Since PA and exercise barriers vary according to the TTM stage, the TTM stage may increase PA participation in breast cancer patients.