Examining intervention components for promoting adherence to strength weight training exercise in postmenopausal breast cancer survivors with bone loss

• Main Author: McGuire, Rita L
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01-01-2008
• Subjects: Bone density; Early intervention; Exercise; Nursing; Weightlifting
• ISBN: 0549960643; 9780549960645

This study was a secondary analysis of data collected in a 24-month multi-component intervention study conducted in postmenopausal breast cancer survivors with bone loss. The sample included the 124 participants in the exercise group. The purposes of this study were to examine the intervention components used to promote adherence to the strength weight training exercise program in the study; to describe the participants' adherence to exercise during the 24 months; to identify demographic or clinical variables that influenced either the intervention components or adherence to exercise; and determine which of these variables predicted adherence to exercise. The Interaction Model of Client Health Behavior (Cox, 1982) provided the framework for this secondary analysis. Descriptive analysis was used to determine the frequency of the intervention components used in the study and to describe the participants' adherence to exercise. Pearson correlations were used to identify relationships between demographic or clinical variables and intervention components with adherence to exercise. Hierarchical regression was used to identify variables that predicted adherence to exercise in this population. Providing feedback and providing support were the most frequently used intervention components in the parent study; specifically titrating weight loads for the exercises and emotional support and verbal persuasion from the exercise trainers and research nurses. Adherence to exercise decreased over time with participants performing 79.4% of the prescribed exercises initially and 58.9% by the end of the exercise program. In the regression analyses, the strongest predictors for adherence to exercise were the intervention component of providing feedback (β=.40; p<.001) and adherence from the previous month (β=.31; p<.001). Marital status was the only demographic characteristic that was significant in the model. Those with greater adherence in the previous month were more likely to adhere the next month. For the intervention components, those receiving more frequent feedback had higher adherence to exercise than the other BCS. When participants had lower adherence to exercise, the intervention components of providing support and promoting knowledge and skills increased in frequency.