Date of Award
Fall 10-25-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Kinesiology (PhD)
Department
Kinesiology
Abstract
Current evidence suggests that exercise is safe and well-tolerated by cancer patients and may have great potential in mitigating CRF, one of the most common adverse events experienced by patients (Campbell et al., 2019). This study aimed to evaluate if supervised group exercise for 60 minutes (30 minutes aerobic/30 minutes strength) for 12 weeks at low-to-moderate intensity can impact CRF levels over time in cancer patients. Each of the 35 participants were screened for CRF at four timepoints (Week 1, 4, 8, and 12) using the FACIT-FS self-reported questionnaire. A paired samples t-test was conducted to compare the mean FACIT-FS before (Week 1) and after (Week 12) exercise interventions. In all participants (N = 35) there was a significant difference in mean FACIT-FS from Week 1 (M = 37.37, SD = 8.92) compared to Week 12 (M = 42.89, SD = 8.10), t (34) = -4.35, p < .001, favoring an improvement in CRF over time. Patients experiencing moderate-to-severe fatigue had the most significant improvement in CRF overtime, FACIT-FS from Week 1 (M = 26.36, SD = 3.91) compared to Week 12 (M = 38.36, SD = 6.76), t (10) = -7.495, p = < .001 reaching or exceeding scores which would be indicative of either mild or minimal/no CRF. Patients with no baseline CRF showed significant improvements over time, Week 1 (M = 45.31, SD = 3.52) compared to Week 12 (M = 48.56, SD = 2.31), t (15) = -4.24, p < .001, which is more indicative of improved QoL. A one-way repeated measures ANOVA showed significance of mean FACIT-FS between Week 1 (M = 41.00) compared to Week 8 (M = 45.00, p = .021) and Week 12 (M = 46.23, p = .009) as well as from Week 4 (M = 43.53) compared to Week 12 (M = 46.23, p = .023). This study confirms that supervised group exercise can have a beneficial impact on significantly mitigating CRF and can be beneficial in cancer patients without CRF.