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A qualitative exploration of exercise motivation among colorectal cancer survivors: an application of the theory of planned behavior

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this qualitative study was to use semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis to elicit key influencing factors (i.e., behavioral, normative, and control beliefs) related to physical activity and exercise in colorectal cancer survivors.

Methods

Colorectal cancer survivors (N = 17) were recruited from exercise programs designed for colorectal cancer survivors at the Yonsei Cancer Center, Seoul, South Korea. A purposive sampling method was used. Interview questions were informed by the theory of planned behavior (TPB). Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted, and open-ended questions addressed the research question. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results

Participants were on average 2.2 years post-treatment. The mean age of the sample was 55.9 years. Key behavioral, normative, and control beliefs emerged in the data. For behavioral beliefs, colorectal cancer survivors believed that exercise would result in physical and psychological improvements, and improve their bowel problems. For normative beliefs, most colorectal cancer survivors wanted their oncologists’ approval for participation of exercise. Family members, more specifically the spouse, were also influencing factors for colorectal cancer survivors adopting physical activity. The most frequently mentioned control belief was that supervised exercise with an exercise specialist made exercise participation easier.

Conclusions and implications

Beliefs identified in this study can inform TPB-based physical activity interventions tailored for colorectal cancer survivors. While information alone may not lead to behavior change, integrating these beliefs with other influential factors can potentially enhance intervention efficacy and promote physical activity in this population.

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Data availability

Data will be made available on request.

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Funding

This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) the Korea government (No. NRF2013R1A1A2005986), National R&D Programme for Cancer Control, Republic of Korea (HA21C0067000021), and the Yonsei Signature Research Cluster Project (2021–22-0009).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sport Industry Studies, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea

    Ji Yong Byeon, Dong-Hyuk Park, Su Jin Yeon, Chul Won Lee & Justin Y. Jeon

  2. Frontier Research Institute of Convergence Sports Science, FRICSS, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea

    Mi Kyung Lee

  3. Institute for Health Promotion, Graduate School of Public Health, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea

    Sun Ha Jee

  4. Department of Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea

    Seung Yoon Yang & Nam-Kyu Kim

  5. Faculty of Health Disciplines, Athabasca University, Athabasca, Canada

    Jeff Vallance

  6. Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

    Kerry S. Courneya

  7. Exercise Medicine Center for Diabetes and Cancer Patients, ICONS, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea

    Justin Y. Jeon

  8. Cancer Prevention Center, Yonsei Cancer Center, Seoul, Korea

    Justin Y. Jeon

Authors
  1. Ji Yong Byeon
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  2. Mi Kyung Lee
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Contributions

J.Y.B. J.J., and S.H.J. conceptualized the study. J.Y.B, M.K.L., D.H.P., and N.K.K. recruited participants. J.Y.B. and D.H.P. conducted data collection. J.Y.B. and S.J.Y. analyzed the data. J.Y.B., J.J., and J.V. wrote the manuscript. All authors reviewed the manuscript and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Justin Y. Jeon.

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Ethical approval

This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Severance Hospital (IRB No. 4–2018-0841).

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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Byeon, J.Y., Lee, M.K., Park, DH. et al. A qualitative exploration of exercise motivation among colorectal cancer survivors: an application of the theory of planned behavior. Support Care Cancer 32, 176 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-024-08362-0

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