Individuals diagnosed with cancer tend to be inactive and have symptom burdens that impact quality of life. An individualized, community-based Nordic pole walking (NPW) program may help. The primary objective of this study was to assess feasibility using the Thabane Framework of a randomized controlled trial (RCT). The secondary objective was to determine the effects of NPW on physical function (six-minute walk test, 30-second [30-s] chair stand test, Unsupported Upper Limb Exercise Test, handgrip strength, physical activity [PA]), and health-related quality of life (HRQoL, 36-Item Short Form Health [SF-36]). The study design was an eight-week multi-centred block randomized controlled feasibility study (no blinding) comparing a NPW program (versus usual daily routine) for adults with non-small cell lung, prostate, colorectal, and endometrial cancer, from hospitals and cancer support groups.
Individuals diagnosed with cancer tend to be inactive and have symptom burdens that impact quality of life. A community-based Nordic Pole Walking (NPW) program may help. The primary objective of this study was to see if it was feasible to do to a larger trial. The secondary objective was to determine the effects of NPW on physical function and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). NPW or no NPW was randomly assigned to adults with non-small cell lung, prostate, colorectal, and endometrial. Eight people were enrolled in the study with 4 in the NPW group (1 dropped out) and 4 in the no NPW group.