Haider Zainab Faatimah, Beeken Rebecca J, Ayaz-Shah Anam, Lloyd Kelly E, Smith Samuel George
Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
Psychooncology. 2025 Jun;34(6):e70193. doi: 10.1002/pon.70193.
Women with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) experience a range of physical and psychological challenges. Physical activity is safe and supports quality of life in individuals with MBC. However, most women with MBC are not meeting physical activity recommendations.
To inform the development of an accessible and effective physical activity intervention, we investigated the beliefs, barriers and facilitators of physical activity of women with MBC.
We conducted semi-structured telephone interviews with UK women living with MBC. Participants were asked open-ended questions about physical activity levels, beliefs, barriers, facilitators, support and preferences. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse the transcripts and themes were mapped onto the Theoretical Domains Framework.
23 women with MBC (mean age = 53.7 years; White British = 69.7%) were interviewed between May 2022 and October 2024. Average time since diagnosis was 6 years, 1 month. Most had bone metastases (68.8%). Our analysis generated five themes. Participants generally believed physical activity was important (1) but were limited by physical symptoms (2) and psychological barriers (3). Most women noted a significant lack of physical activity support from healthcare providers (4). They discussed how physical activity could be more accessible for their diverse needs (5), including increasing provision of tailored support.
Improvements in physical activity support for women with MBC are needed. Our findings provide several implications for future interventions. This includes implementing physical activity recommendations, improving knowledge about risks and benefits, and incorporating psycho-social and tailored support which consider the unique needs of the MBC population.
转移性乳腺癌（MBC）女性面临一系列身体和心理挑战。体育活动对MBC患者是安全的，并有助于提高其生活质量。然而，大多数MBC女性未达到体育活动建议水平。
为了为开发一种可及且有效的体育活动干预措施提供依据，我们调查了MBC女性体育活动的信念、障碍和促进因素。
我们对英国的MBC女性进行了半结构化电话访谈。参与者被问及关于体育活动水平、信念、障碍、促进因素、支持和偏好的开放式问题。采用反思性主题分析法分析访谈记录，并将主题映射到理论领域框架上。
在2022年5月至2024年10月期间，对23名MBC女性（平均年龄 = 53.7岁；英国白人 = 69.7%）进行了访谈。自诊断以来的平均时间为6年1个月。大多数人有骨转移（68.8%）。我们的分析产生了五个主题。参与者普遍认为体育活动很重要（1），但受到身体症状（2）和心理障碍（3）的限制。大多数女性指出医疗保健提供者严重缺乏对体育活动的支持（4）。她们讨论了如何使体育活动更能满足她们的多样化需求（5），包括增加提供量身定制的支持。
需要改善对MBC女性的体育活动支持。我们的研究结果对未来的干预措施有若干启示。这包括实施体育活动建议、提高对风险和益处的认识，以及纳入考虑MBC人群独特需求的心理社会和量身定制的支持。
