An 8-week exercise intervention improves self-efficacy, fatigue and physical fitness in lymphoma patients

Purpose: Lymphoma patients experience a psychological and phys- iological decline that could be reversed by exercise. However, little is known about the effects of the exercise on psychological and physical fitness variables. Therefore, the purpose of this longitudinal study was to assess self-efficacy, fatigue and physical fitness before and after 8-week exercise intervention. Methods: Thirty-six participants (54.4 ± 19.1 years) met all the eligibility criteria and were assigned to an intervention group that performed a supervised exercise program (* 60 min, 2dwk-1). Each session included a combined progressive training of cardiorespiratory, resistance, flexibility and postural education exercises. Self-efficacy and fatigue were measured with the Regulatory Emotional Self-Ef- ficacy scale and 0–10 rating scale, respectively. Physical fitness was assessed with the body mass index, lower back flexibility, static balance, muscle strength and functional mobility. Results: Adherence to exercise was high (91.2 ± 4.8%) and no major health problems were noted in the patients over intervention period. At baseline, significant differences were found between Hodgkin’s lymphoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma by age and all dependent measures (p 0.05). Fatigue significantly decreased, and the perceived capa- bility to regulate negative affect and to express positive emotions improved after exercise (p 0.001). Significant improvements were found for body mass index, trunk lateral flexibility, monopodalic balance, isometric handgrip force and functional mobility (p 0.001). Fatigue was significantly correlated with handgrip force (r = -0.56, p 0.001) and functional mobility (r = -0.69, p 0.001). Conclusions: The supervised exercise program improved psycho- logical and physical fitness without causing adverse effects and health problems. Therefore, exercise to improve fitness levels and reduce perceived fatigue should be considered in the management of lym- phoma patients.