Estudio cualitativo
Published on 9 de octubre de 2024 | http://doi.org/10.5867/medwave.2024.09.2963
Physical exercise in Chilean breast cancer survivors: Qualitative study of barriers, facilitators and preferences
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Dimensions, sub-dimensions, and representative quotes.
| Level of physical exercise during medical treatment | High | "I set up my exercise ritual... during the chemo, and then with the radiotherapy, I gradually increased the intensity of the exercises. I start with a warm-up... jogging in space, abdominal work, resistance work, and I finish with stretching and relaxation... I usually do about an hour of exercise. And then I go out on the bike" (E12). | |
| Low | "During the chemo [chemotherapy] ... I was in bed ... practically bedridden" (E2). | ||
| Barriers | Physical symptoms | Fatigue | "I get there dead tired, I don't think my body is very good at exercising" (E4). |
| Breast pain | "...My breast hurts all of a sudden, like stitches" (E2). | ||
| Arm discomfort | "There are still some [movements] that I can't do yet because there is some discomfort with my arm ... I have to go little by little" (E13). | ||
| Articular pain | "The discomfort in my joints [prevents me from doing physical exercise]" (E9). | ||
| Psychological barriers | Fear of pain | "If they put me to exercise, the truth is that I wouldn't do it ... because I would be in a lot of pain afterward" (E1). | |
| Fear of getting sick | "Now, with the chemo, my defenses are down, I don't go for walks so as not to catch anything" (E5). | ||
| Social and cultural barriers | Work | "I don't have enough time, I come home exhausted [from work], I don't really have time to exercise". (E7) | |
| Lack of resources | "If I had the means, I would do it in a gym, with supervision, really." (E3) | ||
| Neighborhood | "I don't go out walking mostly because I am terrified of the crime environment" (E10). | ||
| Family | "My family takes more care of me; [they ask me] not to use so much force" (E4). | ||
| Sedentary lifestyle prior to breast cancer diagnosis | "I've never really had much of a habit of doing sport ...I don't have that habit in my life routine" (E3). | ||
| Health system barriers | The truth is that no...they haven't told me that I have to exercise (E10). "I don't remember that they told me that doing this or that would bring me benefits, no, the truth is that I don't remember" (E3). "They advised me more than anything else to exercise my arm, not any other type of exercise" (E1) | ||
| Disinformation | "Luckily, I am slim, so I don't need to exercise" (E1). "In my case, I don't know what kind of exercise, and I don't know how much I would have to do...I have no idea how I could do it" (E10). | ||
| Facilitators | Bodies | "I think exercising helps you...it’s amazing...you exercise...and you feel better. At least I feel better when I exercise" (E9). | |
| Psychological | "It helps me to relax... to de-stress from any problems or anxieties that one may have" (E4). | ||
| Information | "If I feel the body tired like this and I listen to it, it starts to become a sick body. That’s all the more reason why I knew I had to be active". (E13) | ||
| Physical exercise before breast cancer diagnosis | "The truth is that being an actress kind of incorporates exercise. It hasn't cost me anything [to exercise more] yet" (E13). | ||
| Preferences | Indoor exercises | "If I start walking, it won't hurt, but if I start trotting, it...it hurts, of course" (E1) | |
| Walking as an ideal exercise | "Bicycle, no, because if I was lucky, I used to cycle when I was a child, and it would be a bit complicated for me. Walking, yes, I'm used to walking" (E1). | ||
Source, Prepared by the authors of this study.