Understanding physical activity participation and promotion after breast cancer: an exploration of Palestinian women’s and health care professionals’ perspectives.

Hamdan, Esra (2020) Understanding physical activity participation and promotion after breast cancer: an exploration of Palestinian women’s and health care professionals’ perspectives. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

Background
Physical activity is recognised as an effective strategy to mitigate the side effects of cancer treatments. Despite this, a large number of women after breast cancer remain physically inactive. Cultural sensitivities may impact on and shape women's' physical activity participation. There is an important role for health care professionals who face challenges in promoting physical activity to their cancer patients.

Study Design
This research was conducted in two phases. Firstly, a systematic review to identify factors affecting physical activity participation and promotion, from both women after breast cancer and oncology health care professionals’ perspectives, worldwide. Following this, a qualitative study explored Palestinian women’s perspectives of what affects their physical activity participation after breast cancer and health care professionals’ perspectives of what affects their promotion of physical activity to cancer patients in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Findings:
Phase one identified themes of daily living with breast cancer, altruism, changing identities, and promoting physical activity. While phase two highlights what can be described as Palestinian women's captivity to the consequences of breast cancer. Palestinian female Identity and a culture of shame and pettiness, as well as an ongoing political situation, which together imposes restrictions on their PA participation. Other barriers were encountered by health care professionals regarding physical activity promotion, all of which may be related to work pressure, lack of knowledge and health care system referral scheme to physical activity.

Conclusion:
This research provides new knowledge and understandings about physical activity participation in women after breast cancer emphasising the importance of culture. These findings help to raise the awareness of all women’s experience and in particular, give Palestinian women a ‘voice’. It highlights the need to develop and implement culturally tailored physical activity recommendations that may increase participation among women after breast cancer.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > School of Health Sciences
Depositing User:	Chris White
Date Deposited:	14 Jul 2021 14:30
Last Modified:	14 Jul 2021 14:30
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/80561
DOI:

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