Body image issues and attitudes towards exercise amongst men undergoing androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) following diagnosis of prostate cancer

Gentili, Caterina; McClean, Stuart; Hackshaw-McGeagh, Lucy; Bahl, Amit; Persad, Raj; Harcourt, Diana

Abstract

© 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Background: Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is an established treatment for prostate cancer (PCa), but its side-effects can affect body appearance and functioning. However, research into the impact of ADT on body image is limited. Exercise can help patients to counterbalance some side-effects, potentially improving body image too. However, adherence to exercise recommendations is low. Therefore, we explored body image after ADT and attitudes towards exercise. Methods: Twenty two semi-structured interviews were conducted with PCa patients receiving ADT (Mage = 67.9 years old, SD = 9.99). Results: Participants expressed appearance dissatisfaction focusing on body feminization. Participants exercised to counterbalance ADT side-effects and improve mood. Exercise also helped them to re-establish a sense of control over their body and experience a sense of achievement. However, some men described being worried that their appearance and physical performance would be judged by others, so they often exercised alone or gave up exercise. Time management and fatigue were also identified as exercise barriers. Conclusion: These findings highlight the need to further investigate body image concerns and exercise barriers in PCa patients undergoing ADT. These results could also inform support groups and health care professionals on the topic. However, further research should explore the most effective and acceptable ways to provide support to PCa patients on body image issues.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 22, 2019
• Online Publication Date: May 29, 2019
• Publication Date: Aug 1, 2019
• Deposit Date: Jun 3, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: May 30, 2020
• Journal: Psycho-Oncology
• Print ISSN: 1099-1611
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 28
• Issue: 8
• Pages: 1647-1653
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.5134
• Keywords: androgen deprivation therapy, cancer, body image, exercise, oncology, prostate cancer, qualitative methods
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/846537
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pon.5134
• Additional Information: Additional Information : This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: [Gentili, C., McClean, S., Hackshaw-McGeagh, L., Bahl, A., Persad, R. and Harcourt, D. (2019) Body image issues and attitudes towards exercise amongst men undergoing androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) following diagnosis of prostate cancer. Journal of Psycho Oncology. ISSN 1099-1611], which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pon.5134. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.
• Contract Date: Jun 4, 2019