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To be able to make suitable exercise intervention programmes for cancer survivors, we need more information about exercise preferences. The primary aim of the study was to investigate the interest and preferences for exercise among Norwegian cancer survivors. A secondary aim was to identify demographic and medical characteristics associated with interest in exercise counselling. A questionnaire was completed by 1284 cancer survivors. Overall, 76% of participants were interested or maybe interested in receiving exercise counselling at some point during their cancer experience. Logistic regression analyses indicated that the interest in exercise counselling in men was associated with younger age, presence of comorbidity and having received chemotherapy. In women, the interest was associated with younger age, higher education and change in physical activity level. The participants preferred face-to-face exercise counselling with an exercise specialist from a cancer centre, at a hospital, immediately after treatment. Most cancer survivors were interested in an exercise programme, walking as activity, at moderate intensity and they wanted to start immediately after treatment. The knowledge from this study can contribute to make suitable physical rehabilitation available to cancer patients in the future.

IntroductionPhysical activity is an important component in promoting a healthy life style in cancer survivors. We estimated the proportion of cancer survivors who are physically active, defined as meeting public health exercise guidelines, and changes in level of physical activity (LPA) from before diagnosis to after treatment. We also identified medical and demographic factors associated with LPA and its changes.MethodsA cross-sectional survey assessing LPA before diagnosis and after treatment, together with demographic and medical variables in 975 cancer survivors.ResultsForty-five percent of the cancer survivors were physically active after treatment. Before diagnosis and after treatment 33% were active, whereas 40% were inactive at both time points. Fifteen percent were active before diagnosis but inactive after treatment, and 12% were inactive before diagnosis but active after treatment. Increasing age and weight, low education, comorbidity and smoking were associated with physical inactivity after treatment. Change in LPA from active to inactive was associated with comorbidity, distant disease and smoking, while a change from inactive to active was associated with high education.ConclusionsLess than half of cancer survivors were physically active. Almost three quarters of cancer survivors remained stable in LPA. The remaining quarter changed LPA, with slightly more cancer survivors becoming inactive than active. Age, weight, education, comorbidity, disease stage and smoking can identify survivors at risk of physical inactivity after treatment.Implications for cancer survivorsRecognizable variables can be used to identify physically inactive cancer survivors after treatment and give these survivors support to start or maintain LPA.