Social-ecological correlates of physical activity in kidney cancer survivors

Previous studies in cancer survivors have examined behavioral correlates of physical activity (pa), but no study to date has adopted a broader social-ecological framework in understanding pa. this study examined the associations among demographic, medical, social-cognitive, and environmental correlates of meeting pa guidelines among kidney cancer survivors (kcs). all 1985 kcs diagnosed between 1996 and 2010 identified through a canadian provincial registry were mailed a survey that consisted of medical, demographic, and social-cognitive measures, as well as pa as measured by the godin leisure time exercise questionnaire. environmental constructs were also assessed for both self-report and objective measures using geographic information systems (gis). a series of binary logistic regression analyses were conducted in this cross-sectional study. completed surveys with geographical information were received from 432 kcs with m age = 64.4 ± 11.1 years, 63.2 % male, and 82.2 % having localized kidney cancer. in the final multivariate model, meeting pa guidelines was associated with disease stage (or = 0.25, p = .005), having drug therapy (or = 3.98, p = .009), higher levels of instrumental attitudes (or = 1.66, p = .053), higher levels of intention (or = 1.72, p = .002), and the perceived presence of many retail shops in the neighborhood (or = 1.37, p = .032). meeting pa guidelines in kcs were associated with various aspects of the social-ecological model. understanding the social-ecological correlates for pa can provide insight into future interventions designed to increase pa in kcs. prime targets for pa promotion should consider treatment-related factors, promote the benefits of pa, and enhance positive perceptions of the built environment.