title: Perceived barriers to physical activity for colorectal cancer survivors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Promoting physical activity among cancer survivors is a high priority. Understanding barriers to physical activity provides an evidence base to inform relevant strategies for doing so.
  
  
  METHODS
  Telephone interviews were conducted with colorectal cancer survivors at 5 (n = 538) and 12 months post-diagnosis (n = 403). We used an ecological model of health behaviour to classify participants' perceived barriers to physical activity into four sub-categories: physical environment, social environment, personal attributes, and disease-specific barriers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Disease-specific barriers were perceived as the greatest challenge to colorectal cancer survivors being more physically active, closely followed by personal attributes. The physical environment presented the least salient perceived barriers; however, the physical environment was most closely associated with achieving sufficient levels of physical activity at 5 months post-diagnosis. The difficulties most frequently reported by participants at both time points were belief that they were already active enough, not feeling well enough to be physically active, and experiencing fatigue.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest potential points for intervention to influence physical activity among colorectal cancer survivors.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Prevention Research Centre, School of Population Health, The University of Queensland, Herston, 4006 Brisbane, Australia. b.lynch@sph.uq.edu.au
authors.forename: Brigid M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Lynch
authors.forename: Neville
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Owen
authors.forename: Anna L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Hawkes
authors.forename: Joanne F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Aitken
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D003125:Colostomy; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult