Renewing caregiver health and wellbeing through exercise (RECHARGE): A randomized controlled trial

Prevalence of Physical Inactivity and Associated Factors Among Older Caregivers of Older Adults

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to analyze the prevalence of physical inactivity (PI) and associated factors in older caregivers of older adults.

METHOD

A cross-sectional study was conducted including 312 older caregivers. Sociodemographic, clinical, and care-related characteristics were considered the independent variables for the determination of associated factors with PI in the logistic regression model.

RESULTS

The prevalence of PI was 75.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] = [70.1%, 80.0%]). The following factors were associated with PI: being female (odds ratio [OR] = 2.8, 95% CI = [1.3, 5.9]), being older than 75 years of age (OR = 7.1, 95% CI = [2.2, 22.9]), not having a marital life (OR = 4.2, 95% CI = [1.1, 15.8]), being prefrail (OR = 6.2, 95% CI = [1.7, 21.9]), and being frail (OR = 14.8, 95% CI = [3.8, 57.7]).

DISCUSSION

The prevalence of PI was high and associated with the female sex, an advanced age, and not being married. Specific public policies considering these results should be created for older caregivers.

A turning point: Head and neck cancer patients' exercise preferences and barriers before and after participation in an exercise intervention

This study examined the exercise barriers and preferences of head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors in relation to exercise experience. Participants (n = 22; 46.8% response rate) completed retrospective self-report questionnaires on demographic and medical information, exercise barriers and preferences. A subset of participants then completed semi-structured interviews (n = 18). Participants had previously engaged in the ENHANCE trial during, or immediately following, radiation treatment, an average of 22.1 ± 5.8 months before. Retrospective questionnaires revealed that before ENHANCE participation, lack of interest and time were the primary exercise barriers. After participation, there was a significant decrease in typical barriers including lack of interest (p = .008), exercise not a priority (p = .039) and exercise not in routine (p = .004). Number of barriers experienced after ENHANCE participation was negatively correlated with age, quality of life and minutes of resistance exercise training per week. After ENHANCE participation, significant increases were found in preference for exercising at a cancer centre (p = .031) and with other cancer survivors (p = .016). Four higher order themes emerged inductively from interview data analysis pertaining to preferences (i.e., class format) and three higher order themes regarding barriers (physical, psychological and external). By investigating participants' perspectives after ENHANCE participation, key factors for effective HNC exercise programme design were identified.

Creating an upward spiral: A qualitative study of caregivers' experience of participating in a structured physical activity programme

Family caregivers' physical and emotional well-being may be negatively impacted while in the caregiver role. Interventions to support caregiver health have largely focused on psychological support, with only a few studies to date evaluating the role of exercise. Of the exercise studies conducted, there has been one qualitative study examining caregivers' perspectives on the value and impact of this type of intervention. This qualitative study was part of a larger mixed methods investigation including a randomised controlled trial investigating the effects of a 24-week exercise programme for cancer caregivers conducted in western Canada. We aimed to explore cancer family caregivers' experience of participating in a structured exercise programme. We conducted face-to-face interviews with 20 of the participants from the exercise intervention and analysed transcribed data using Thorne's interpretive description as a guiding framework. Two main patterns characterised the experiences of the caregivers. The metaphor of a downward spiral represented the experience of being in the caregiver role, while the metaphor of an upward spiral represented the experience of participating in the exercise programme. Our findings highlight that caregivers valued the exercise programme, experienced positivity through exercise and the group-based format, and noticed improvements to their physical and emotional well-being.