Knowledge and perceived benefits of exercise among women with breast cancer in tertiary hospitals in Delta State

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Knowledge of exercise is of paramount importance in improving and reclaiming the health of women with breast cancer and also enables them to reap the enormous benefits associated with healthy physical activity. AIM: To assess the knowledge and perceived benefits of exercise among women with breast cancer in Delta State. METHOD: Sample of 94 eligible consenting women who are still maintaining follow up with the two tertiary hospitals in Delta state, Federal Medical Center (FMC) Asaba and Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH) Oghara were enlisted for the study. RESULT: Findings from the study revealed knowledge of the recommended exercise was poor among the women with breast cancer, as only 21(22.3%) had good knowledge. For those knowledgeable, their knowledge source was mainly through the mass media 5(23.8%) and the internet 4(19.0%). On the benefits of exercise as perceived by the women with breast cancer, the result shows that 88 (93.6%) of the women with breast cancer perceived exercise as beneficial. The principal exercise perceived to be beneficial was walking 43(45.7) and treatment of discomfort 25(26.6%) was the main benefit they hoped to gain from exercise. Also demographic profile of the women were not significantly related to their knowledge about the recommended exercise asp > 0.05. CONCLUSION: Knowledge of the recommended exercise was low among women with breast cancer despite their awareness of the benefits. It is therefore essential for health care providers especially those involved in the care of these patients to use every avenue to health-educate, counsel and help them in implementing the recommended exercise to enhance their survival.