Physical activity and nutrition interventions for older adults with cancer: a systematic review

Forbes, Cynthia C.; Swan, Flavia; Greenley, Sarah L.; Lind, Michael; Johnson, Miriam J.

doi:10.1007/s11764-020-00883-x

Physical activity and nutrition interventions for older adults with cancer: a systematic review

Forbes, Cynthia C.; Swan, Flavia; Greenley, Sarah L.; Lind, Michael; Johnson, Miriam J.

Authors

Dr Cindy Forbes C.Forbes@hull.ac.uk
Senior Lecturer

Dr Flavia Swan F.Swan@hull.ac.uk
Research fellow in cancer rehabilitation

Ms Sarah Greenley S.Greenley@hull.ac.uk
Research Fellow (Information Specialist)

Professor Michael Lind M.J.Lind@hull.ac.uk
Foundation Professor of Oncology/ Head of the Joint Centre for Cancer Studies

Professor Miriam Johnson Miriam.Johnson@hull.ac.uk
Professor

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this review was to summarize the current literature for the effectiveness of activity and nutritional based interventions on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in older adults living with and beyond cancer (LWBC). Methods: We conducted systematic structured searches of CINAHL, Embase, Medline, Cochrane CENTRAL databases, and bibliographic review. Two independent researchers selected against inclusion criteria: (1) lifestyle nutrition and/or activity intervention for people with any cancer diagnosis, (2) measured HRQoL, (3) all participants over 60years of age and (4) randomized controlled trials. Results: Searches identified 5179 titles; 114 articles had full text review, with 14 studies (participant n = 1660) included. Three had nutrition and activity components, one, nutrition only and ten, activity only. Duration ranged from 7days to 1year. Interventions varied from intensive daily prehabilitation to home-based gardening interventions. Studies investigated various HRQoL outcomes including fatigue, general and cancer-specific quality of life (QoL), distress, depression, global side-effect burden and physical functioning. Eight studies reported significant intervention improvements in one or more QoL measure. Seven studies reported using a psychosocial/theoretical framework. There is a gap in tailored nutrition advice. Conclusions: Among the few studies that targeted older adults with cancer, most were activity-based programmes with half reporting improvements in QoL. Future research should focus on or include tailored nutrition components and consider appropriate behaviour change techniques to maximize potential QoL improvement. Implications for Cancer Survivors: More research is needed to address the research gap regarding older adults as current recommendations are derived from younger populations.

Citation

Forbes, C. C., Swan, F., Greenley, S. L., Lind, M., & Johnson, M. J. (2020). Physical activity and nutrition interventions for older adults with cancer: a systematic review. Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice, 14(5), 689-711. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-020-00883-x

Journal Article Type	Review
Acceptance Date	Mar 31, 2020
Online Publication Date	Apr 24, 2020
Publication Date	2020-10
Deposit Date	Apr 1, 2020
Publicly Available Date	Apr 25, 2021
Journal	Journal of Cancer Survivorship
Print ISSN	1932-2259
Publisher	Springer Verlag
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	14
Issue	5
Pages	689-711
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-020-00883-x
Keywords	Neoplasms; Rehabilitation; Diet; Exercise; Well-being; Quality of life; Review; Aged; Health behaviour
Public URL	https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/3486807
Publisher URL	https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11764-020-00883-x

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