Effect of a short duration exercise program on physical fitness and quality of life in rural breast cancer survivors: A pilot study

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the effect that a supervised and unsupervised exercise program has on the physical function and quality of life (QoL) in rural breast cancer survivors (BCS). For this, a quasi-experimental study was carried out with 114 BCS in the province of Ciudad Real. While the control group continued with its usual physical activity, the experimental group participated in three exercise sessions; two supervised and one of them unsupervised, in which they trained articular mobility, cardiorespiratory fitness (CF), and muscular resistance (MR) in large muscle groups; the duration of the program was five weeks. The variables analyzed were CF with the UKK two kilometers test, MR with the functional arms test and chair stand test. The body composition (BC) was analyzed with the bioelectrical impedance. QoL was measured using the EORTC QLQ-C30 (version 3.0) questionnaire. 21 BCS finished the intervention (aged 51,62 ± 8,44), eight in the experimental group, and 13 in the control group. We reported improvements in CF and MR of 26,17 % and 18,91 % respectively. Improvements in QoL and BC were not found. Conclusions. A five weeks supervised and unsupervised exercise program was insufficient to improve physical fitness and QoL in rural BCS.