title: "The healthy me appears": palliative cancer patients' experiences of participation in a physical group exercise program.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Tentative results from a pilot study showed that patients with advanced cancer were willing and able to take part in a group exercise intervention. Limited knowledge exists, though, about the meaning and significance of such programs. The purpose of the present study was to understand the meaning of such an intervention for the individual participant and thereby to provide knowledge for shaping future clinical practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-four palliative cancer patients with a life expectancy of less than 1 year completed a 6-week group exercise program. Five randomly selected individuals were interviewed 7 months after completion. Results from a self-report evaluation questionnaire identified relevant themes that formed the basis of an interview guide. These were addressed in a semistructured interview. Verbatim transcripts were analyzed with a phenomenological-hermeneutical approach.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two main themes emerged from the interviews: (1) perceptions of the group and (2) a secure and caring setting for the group. Themes identified regarding perception of the group were a sense of belonging and commitment. Themes identified regarding a secure and caring setting for the group were a life-empowering group as a setting for enhancing coping, the qualifications of those who led the group, and a public gym as an unsuitable setting.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study indicates that an individually adjusted group exercise program, with competent leaders, can provide a setting to enhance psychological well-being in cancer patients with life expectancy below 1 year. Small sample size, however, limits the possibility to generalize the findings.
authors: Physiotherapy Department, St. Olavs University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway. hanne.paltiel@stolav.no
authors: Hanne
authors: H
authors: Paltiel
authors: Edel
authors: E
authors: Solvoll
authors: Jon Håvard
authors: JH
authors: Loge
authors: Stein
authors: S
authors: Kaasa
authors: Line
authors: L
authors: Oldervoll
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D015444:Exercise / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D012657:Self-Help Groups; D019452:Terminally Ill / Q000523:psychology*