Feasibility and Acceptability of Qigong Exercise in Community-Dwelling Older Adults in the United States

Objectives:Qigong exercise has been shown to improve physical and psychological well-being in adults with chronic conditions, but little is known about the feasibility and acceptability of engaging in a qigong exercise program in community-dwelling older adults in the United States. The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility, acceptance, and adherence to an 8-week qigong exercise intervention in community-dwelling American older adults. Design: An exploratory study design. Setting: Two senior centers in southern Connecticut. Subjects: Forty-five community-dwelling older adults aged 65 to 85 years enrolled. Intervention: A supervised 1-h health qigong exercise session twice weekly for 8 weeks. Outcome measures: An investigator-designed questionnaire with seven items that were rated on a 1 to 6 scale, with higher scores indicating better results, and nine open-ended questions were used to obtain data on feasibility and acceptability. Adherence was calculated as the proportion of the 16 planned sessions attended. Results: Of the 45 older adults enrolled, 6 never started and 6 withdrew, with 33 evaluable at the end of the intervention. The mean age of the sample was 74.8 years; the majority were female (84.4%) and white (91.1%). Mean scores on aspects of difficulty, acceptability, suitability, or effectiveness of qigong exercise were all ≥5. Participants identified benefits of qigong exercise, such as calming and relaxing feelings, inner peace, better balance, and flexibility. Attendance rate was 78.8%, with 94% performing qigong exercise at least once weekly outside the class. All participants indicated that they would recommend qigong exercise to others. No adverse events occurred. Conclusion: An 8-week qigong exercise program was feasible, acceptable, and safe for American older adults. Future robust randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm these findings

Physical and Psychological Effects of Qigong Exercise in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: An Exploratory Study

Older adults need exercise programs that correspond to age-related changes. The purpose of this study was to explore preliminary effects of an 8-week Qigong exercise intervention on the physical ability, functional and psychological health, and spiritual well-being of community-dwelling older adults. Forty-five community-dwelling adults with the mean age of 74.8 years participated a 1-h Health Qigong exercise session twice weekly for 8 weeks. The majority were female (84%) and white (91%), and lived with their spouse (49%). Physical ability (p < 0.001), functional health (p = 0.001), balance (p < 0.001), functional reach (p < 0.001), depression (p = 0.005), and spiritual well-being (p = 0.004) improved significantly after the 8-week intervention. Most participants perceived physical ability, mental health, and spiritual well-being benefits. No adverse events were reported. A twice weekly Qigong exercise program over 8 weeks is feasible and has potential to improve physical ability, functional health, balance, psychological health, and spiritual well-being in older adults

Use of intervention mapping to adapt a health behavior change intervention for endometrial cancer survivors: The shape-up following cancer treatment program

Background: About 80% of endometrial cancer survivors (ECS) are overweight or obese and have sedentary behaviors. Lifestyle behavior interventions are promising for improving dietary and physical activity behaviors, but the constructs associated with their effectiveness are often inadequately reported. The aim of this study was to systematically adapt an evidence-based behavior change program to improve healthy lifestyle behaviors in ECS. Methods: Following a review of the literature, focus groups and interviews were conducted with ECS (n = 16). An intervention mapping protocol was used for the program adaptation, which consisted of six steps: a needs assessment, formulation of matrices of change objectives, selection of theoretical methods and practical applications, program production, adoption and implementation planning, and evaluation planning. Social Cognitive Theory and Control Theory guided the adaptation of the intervention. Results: The process consisted of eight 90-min group sessions focusing on shaping outcome expectations, knowledge, self-efficacy, and goals about healthy eating and physical activity. The adapted performance objectives included establishment of regular eating, balanced diet, and portion sizes, reduction in sedentary behaviors, increase in lifestyle and organized activities, formulation of a discrepancy-reducing feedback loop for all above behaviors, and trigger management. Information on managing fatigue and bowel issues unique to ECS were added. Conclusions: Systematic intervention mapping provided a framework to design a cancer survivor-centered lifestyle intervention. ECS welcomed the intervention and provided essential feedback for its adaptation. The program has been evaluated through a randomized controlled trial

A dyadic approach to understanding the impact of breast cancer on relationships between partners during early survivorship

© 2016 The Author(s). Background: The shared impact of breast cancer for women and their male partners is emerging as an important consideration during the experience of a breast cancer diagnosis, particularly during survivorship. This study aimed to explore the experiences of women and their partners during early survivorship and contributes a range of insights into the lives of those intimately affected by breast cancer. Methods: In-depth interviews were completed with Australian women survivors of breast cancer (n = 8) and their partners (n = 8), between six months and five years following cessation of treatment. Questions included a focus on the women and their partners' daily experiences during early survivorship, including the management of ongoing symptoms, engagement in leisure and social interests, returning to work, communicating with each other, maintenance of the current relationship and other important roles and responsibilities. Thematic analysis was employed to determine key themes arising from the dyadic accounts of women and their partners' experiences during early breast cancer survivorship. Results: Women and their partners experienced many changes to their previous roles, responsibilities and relationships during early breast cancer survivorship. Couples also reported a range of communication, intimacy and sexuality concerns which greatly impacted their interactions with each other, adding further demands on the relationship. Three significant themes were determined: (1) a disconnection within the relationship - this was expressed as the woman survivor of breast cancer needing to prioritise her own needs, sometimes at the expense of her partner and the relationship; (2) reformulating the relationship - this reflects the strategies used by couples to negotiate changes within the relationship; and (3) support is needed to negotiate the future of the relationship - couples emphasised the need for additional support and resources to assist them in maintaining their relationship during early survivorship. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the early survivorship period represents a crucial time for both women and their partners and there are currently limited options available to meet their shared needs and preferences for support. Findings indicate that a suitable model of care underpinned by a biopsychosocial framework, access to comprehensive assessment, timely support and the provision of targeted resources are urgently needed to assist women and their partners during this critical time

Treatment complexity: a description of chemotherapy and supportive care treatment visits in patients with advanced-stage cancer diagnoses

Modern chemotherapy regimens are growing increasingly complex, involving lengthy outpatient infusions, and additional visits for supportive care. The treatment of advanced-stage patients is uniquely one of unremitting therapy and varying complexity. The study’s purpose was to describe and quantify the dimensions of treatment complexity in terms of chemotherapy (CT) and supportive care (SC) visits

Partial Breast Irradiation: A Longitudinal Study of Symptoms and Quality of Life

Background: In many women with early-stage breast cancer, breast-conserving surgery (BCS) with partial breast irradiation (PBI) has similar overall survival and local recurrence rates compared to BCS with whole-breast irradiation (WBI). A better understanding of the quality of life (QOL) outcomes during and following BCS with PBI versus BCS with WBI is needed. Objectives: This study was conducted to examine symptoms, symptom distress, cosmesis, QOL, and perceived body image in women during and after BCS with PBI. Methods: A convenience sample of 31 women completed self-reports pre- and post-PBI over six months. Descriptive statistics and repeated- measures analysis were performed at baseline and three times post-PBI. Findings: Most women reported satisfaction with body image and good QOL, despite a small decline in social well-being. Fatigue and mild to moderate symptom distress persisted over time

Feasibility and Acceptability of Qigong Exercise in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Objectives: Qigong exercise has been shown to improve physical and psychological well-being in adults with chronic conditions, but little is known about the feasibility and acceptability of engaging in a qigong exercise program in community-dwelling older adults in the United States. The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility, acceptance, and adherence to an 8-week qigong exercise intervention in community-dwelling American older adults. Design: An exploratory study design. Setting: Two senior centers in southern Connecticut. Subjects: Forty-five community-dwelling older adults aged 65 to 85 years enrolled. Intervention: A supervised 1-h health qigong exercise session twice weekly for 8 weeks. Outcome measures: An investigator-designed questionnaire with seven items that were rated on a 1 to 6 scale, with higher scores indicating better results, and nine open-ended questions were used to obtain data on feasibility and acceptability. Adherence was calculated as the proportion of the 16 planned sessions attended. Results: Of the 45 older adults enrolled, 6 never started and 6 withdrew, with 33 evaluable at the end of the intervention. The mean age of the sample was 74.8 years; the majority were female (84.4%) and white (91.1%). Mean scores on aspects of difficulty, acceptability, suitability, or effectiveness of qigong exercise were all ≥5. Participants identified benefits of qigong exercise, such as calming and relaxing feelings, inner peace, better balance, and flexibility. Attendance rate was 78.8%, with 94% performing qigong exercise at least once weekly outside the class. All participants indicated that they would recommend qigong exercise to others. No adverse events occurred. Conclusion: An 8-week qigong exercise program was feasible, acceptable, and safe for American older adults. Future robust randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm these findings