Baseline Characteristics of Participants Enrolled in the Golf Recreational Exercise for Enhanced Prostate Cancer Survivorship Study

Authors

Guanrong Cai, University of Southern CaliforniaFollow
George Salem, University of Southern CaliforniaFollow

Abstract

Prostate cancer survivors undergoing hormone therapy experience declines in physical function and quality of life. Exercise has been shown to be beneficial. Comparing baseline key health metrics to normative data can provide insight into the health status of prostate cancer survivors enrolled in a recreational exercise study. PURPOSE: The purpose is to descriptively compare participants’ baseline quality of life and physical function metrics with normative values. METHODS Five prostate cancer survivors (age: 76 yrs, SD=5.1) participated in the study. Baseline assessments included FACT-P (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Prostate) scores, 8ft Time-up-and-go (TUG) test times, grip strength, and gait speed. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and comparisons were made against normative ranges for healthy older adults RESULTS The average FACT-P total score was 73.0 (SD = 15.6). The mean TUG test time was 8.53 seconds (SD = 1.25). Grip strength averaged 30.4 kg (SD = 6.2), and gait speed averaged 1.05 m/s (SD = 0.2). CONCLUSION: Compared to normative data for healthy older adults, prostate cancer survivors in this study exhibited lower FACT-P scores (73.0), indicating a reduced quality of life compared to normative ranges of 80-100 in similar populations. Grip strength (average: 30.4 kg) was below the normative range for older men (32-45 kg), while gait speed (1.05 m/s) was slightly below the normative values of 1.2-1.4 m/s, indicating some decline in physical function. However, the TUG test results (mean: 8.53 seconds) remained within the normative range of 8-12 seconds, suggesting that basic mobility was relatively unaffected. These results emphasize the need for tailored interventions to address physical and quality-of-life challenges in this population.

Recommended Citation

Cai, Guanrong and Salem, George (2024) "Baseline Characteristics of Participants Enrolled in the Golf Recreational Exercise for Enhanced Prostate Cancer Survivorship Study," International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 14: Iss. 4, Article 40.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol14/iss4/40