Acceptability of My Ten: a physical activity intervention for family caregivers of people with advanced cancer.

BACKGROUND

The caregiving experience can have a significant impact on family caregivers' (caregivers) health and well-being, particularly those of patients with advanced cancer. Interventions to support caregivers through health-promoting strategies are needed. The physical and psychological benefits of physical activity (PA) are well documented, yet the value of PA for caregivers of people with advanced cancer is not well understood. To address this gap, a home-based individually tailored PA intervention was designed with the aim of increasing caregivers' positive affect and health and decreasing their negative affect and fatigue. The objective of this study was to explore the acceptability of the intervention for caregivers.

METHODS

A descriptive exploratory qualitative research design was used. Caregivers (N = 10) were recruited to participate in the intervention for 6 weeks and provided weekly qualitative feedback on its structure and process. A follow-up individual interview was conducted with caregivers to solicit their overall experience with the intervention. Data were analyzed using content analysis.

RESULTS

Eight of 10 caregivers completed the intervention. Caregivers deemed the PA intervention to be acceptable. No modifications were necessary other than slight changes in formatting to the PA log. Caregivers were appreciative of attention to and support of their own self-care. A home-based PA program allowed them to take breaks from caregiving responsibilities while staying near the patient. Individually tailored PA, goal setting and self-monitoring were helpful for caregivers to engage in and adhere to their PA plans. In addition, weekly telephone calls for feedback and support helped to problem solve any barriers and provided motivation. Given that caregivers often chose to engage in smaller, more frequent bouts of PA, the intervention was named My Ten.

CONCLUSIONS

The My Ten PA intervention is acceptable to caregivers of those with advanced cancer, helping them to engage in and adhere to PA as a health-promoting strategy.