[Motivation for exercise of cancer patients-Results of randomized-efficacy study]

BACKGROUND: Exercise training becomes more important in the rehabilitation of cancer patients. Within the framework of the Transtheoretical Model of behavior change the motivation for exercise beyond the clinic residence is characterized by the stage of change concept and can build up with motivational interviewing. This randomized-controlled study analyses the effects of a motivational intervention over the time-period of 9 months. METHODS: Different questionnaires (self-efficacy expectations, decisional balance, and cognitive-affective processes and sports activity) were administered to 175 patients with cancer of a rehabilitation clinic. The intervention group participants received 3 telephone calls at intervals of 2 month. Follow-up time was 9 month after first study admission. At the end of the study 118 Patients were enrolled for analysis (dropout-rate: 32.56 %). To evaluate the effects of treatment nonparametric analysis for longitudinal data were used. RESULTS: The analysis shows significant positive time effects in the intervention and the control group for sports activity (U-value: -2.665; p = 0.008) irrespective of group membership. There were not any significant interaction effects of the other dependent variables. Because the results for the domain decisional balance were not congruent with the assumptions of the TTM further studies should evaluate the suitability for patients with cancer.