Exercise preferences among patients with head and neck cancer: prevalence and associations with quality of life, symptom severity, depression, and rural residence.

BACKGROUND: Our aim was to determine exercise preferences among patients with head and neck cancer and their associations with quality of life, symptom severity, depression, and rural residence.
METHODS: This study involved a cross-sectional chart review and self-administered survey, with 90 outpatients with head and neck cancer (response rate = 83%).
RESULTS: The majority were <65 years old (65%), male (78%), and white (96%) with stage > or = III (81%). Lack of preference was the most frequent option for counseling source (66%), counseling delivery (47%), and exercise variability (52%). Popular specific preferences included outdoors (49%), morning (47%), and alone (50%). Significant adjusted associations occurred for patients' interest with lower functional well-being, alone with higher functional well-being, and morning with higher total quality of life and emotional, social, and functional well-being. No significant associations occurred with symptoms, depression, or rural residence.
CONCLUSION: Patients with head and neck cancer may be open to a variety of exercise options. Quality of life may influence interest and preference for exercising alone or in the morning. Copyright 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.