title: Exercise barriers in Korean colorectal cancer patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To identify barriers to exercise in Korean colorectal cancer patients and survivors, and to analyze differences in exercise barriers by age, gender, treatment status, and physical activity level.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 427 colorectal cancer patients and survivors from different stages and medical status completed a self-administered questionnaire that surveyed their barriers to exercise and exercise participation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The greatest perceived exercise barriers for the sampled population as a whole were fatigue, low level of physical fitness, and poor health. Those under 60-years old reported lack of time (p=0.008), whereas those over 60 reported low level of physical fitness (p=0.014) as greater exercise barriers than their counterparts. Women reported fatigue as a greater barrier than men (p<0.001). Those who were receiving treatment rated poor health (p=0.0005) and cancer-related factors as greater exercise barriers compared to those who were not receiving treatment. A multivariate model found that other demographic and medical status were not potential factors that may affect exercise participation. Further, for those who were not participating in physical activity, tendency to be physically inactive (p<0.001) and lack of exercise skill (p<0.001) were highly significant barriers, compared to those who were participating in physical activity. Also, for those who were not meeting ACSM guidelines, cancer-related exercise barriers were additionally reported (p<0.001), compared to those who were.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study suggests that fatigue, low level of physical fitness, and poor health are most reported exercise barriers for Korean colorectal cancer survivors and there are differences in exercise barriers by age, sex, treatment status, and physical activity level. Therefore, support for cancer patients should be provided considering these variables to increase exercise participation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sport and Leisure Studies, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea E-mail : jjeon@yonsei.ac.kr, NAMKYUK@yuhs.ac.
authors.forename: Dong-Woo
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Jae Youn
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Mi Kyung
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Junga
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ji-Hye
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Dong-Il
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Lee W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Joong Bae
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: Nam Kyu
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Justin Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Jeon
mesh_terms: D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D015444:Exercise / Q000523:psychology*; D005221:Fatigue; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010465:Perception; D011379:Prognosis; D011788:Quality of Life; D045808:Refusal to Participate / Q000523:psychology*; D056910:Republic of Korea; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*