Background: Evidence shows that physical activity (PA) can reduce the impact of cancer-related side-effects, yet many survivors are not active enough to gain benefits. Personal barriers like time and energy are not the only factors moderating PA, neighbourhood characteristics also have impact.
Aim: to assess characteristics related to walkability, activity levels, and health outcomes, and explore associations between PA, walkability, and self-rated health among gynaecological cancer survivors (GCS) in Nova Scotia, Canada..
Methods: This is a secondary analysis of data collected in 2014 from GCS identified through the Nova Scotia Cancer Registry. Eligible participants, aged 18-69, were diagnosed with a histologically confirmed gynaecological cancer. A total of 239 respondents (26.6% response rate) completed the International PA Questionnaire (IPAQ). Walk Scores®, reflecting walkability, were calculated based on postcodes, considering factors such as block length, intersection density, and distance to preselected destinations.
Results: Walkability was significantly associated with marital status, as 68.1% of married GCS lived in unwalkable postcodes versus 31.9% of unmarried GCS (p=.038). PA duration was not significantly linked to self-rated health; however, uterine cancer survivors reported 219 minutes of PA, compared with 175 for cervical or ovarian cancer survivors (p=.028). Education level correlated with PA duration (p=.012), but not sitting duration. Income level was associated with quality of life (QoL) (p=.040). No association was found between Walk Score® and PA duration, sitting duration, self-rated health, or cancer-specific QoL.
Conclusions: Walkability, as measured by Walk Scores®, showed no direct association with PA, self-rated health, or QoL among GCS in this study. However, marital status was associated with built environment. PA correlated with education level and cancer type, whereas self-rated health and cancer stage related to sitting duration. Further research is necessary to understand the interactions of built environment and PA and QoL.