Exercise and Perceived Quality of Life during Survivorship: A Pilot Study Comparing Traditional and Non-Traditional Cancer Recovery Programs

Copyright © 2013 Matthew S. Wiggins. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. PURPOSE: To determine if cancer survivors could increase their perceived QOL using a non-traditional exercise and cancer recovery program consisting of resistance tubing, balance balls, and hand-weights. A second purpose was to compare perceived QOL ratings between survivors using a traditional versus non-traditional exercise program. METHODS: Sixty cancer survivors were assigned into two weight training groups (traditional and non-traditional). Participants were given a pre and post-test assessment using the FACT-G scale, designed to measure QOL ratings in a cancer population. Participants worked out for 12 weeks, two times per week for 30 to 60 minutes using individually prescribed exercise programs. The traditional group used various machines, while the non-traditional group used resistance tubing, stability balls, etc. RESULTS: Cancer survivors using the non-traditional training program significantly increased their perceived QOL, F(1, 58), = 5.61, p =.021. Overall, survivors under both conditions significantly increased their perceived QOL, F(1, 118) = 7.71, p =.006. CONCLUSIONS: Inexpensive non-traditional equipment ca