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Health Education Research Advance Access published online on January 31, 2007
Health Education Research, doi:10.1093/her/cyl159
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© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

‘I wouldn't have been interested in just sitting round a table talking about cancer’; exploring the experiences of women with breast cancer in a group exercise trial

Carol Emslie1,*, Fiona Whyte2, Anna Campbell3, Nanette Mutrie3, Laura Lee3, Diana Ritchie4 and Nora Kearney5

1 MRC Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, 4 Lilybank Gardens, Glasgow G12 8RZ, UK
2 Macmillan Education Unit, Glasgow University, Glasgow G12 8LW, UK
3 Department of Sport, Culture and the Arts, Strathclyde University, Glasgow G13 1PP, UK
4 Beatson Oncology Centre, Glasgow G11 6NT, UK
5 Cancer Care Research Centre, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK

Correspondence to: * Correspondence to: C. Emslie. E-mail: C.Emslie{at}msoc.mrc.gla.ac.uk

There is evidence that physical activity improves the psychological and physical health of patients with cancer. However, relatively little attention has been paid to understanding their experiences of exercise. This focus group study explored the experiences of women undergoing treatment for breast cancer who had taken part in a supervised group exercise trial. We found that setting up classes solely for women with breast cancer, led by an expert instructor, helped to reduce gender-related barriers to physical activity, such as difficulties in prioritizing exercise over caring roles and worries about changed appearance. For example, some women challenged traditional expectations of femininity by removing their wigs in the classes in order to exercise in comfort. Respondents valued exercising with women in the ‘same boat’ because of the empathy and acceptance they received and the opportunities to exchange information and form friendships. However, the action-orientated format of the group was preferred to a talk-based format such as a support group; some respondents felt that the ‘last thing’ they wished to do was to talk about cancer. Our findings therefore challenge stereotypes about women invariably preferring to cope with cancer through emotional disclosure.


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