REACH project: the why
A cancer diagnosis is life-changing. The disease and its treatment can affect both your physical and mental health.
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Research shows that physical activity can help reduce many of the side effects of cancer and its treatment.
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The aim of the REACH project is to support you in becoming more physically active in your daily life.
About this website
This website was created by PhD student Elisa Habluetzel Esposito to explain the aims and methods of her research project to people affected by cancer, healthcare professionals, and researchers.
The website provides a platform to share the studies conducted within the project, offer information to those interested in taking part, and facilitate access to these studies. Once available, the results will also be shared here.
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It also provides quick access to some of the most reliable resources on physical activity currently available for people living with and beyond cancer.
The Survey
Aim
The aim of this survey is to understand what physical activity looks like in the weekly routine of a person living with a cancer diagnosis.
Questions
The survey includes questions about how active you are at work or at home, how you usually travel from place to place, and what activities you do in your leisure time.
It also asks some personal questions like your age, where you live, and any symptoms you may be experiencing. This information help us understand the different needs of people living with cancer in Ireland.
Can I take part?
Anyone aged 18 or over who has received a cancer diagnosis and is living in the Republic of Ireland is welcome to take part.
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If you feel you are not doing enough physical activity, we strongly encourage you to participate. The information collected will help us develop ways to support people to become more active.
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If you are already active, we would also like to hear from you. Knowing what activities you enjoy can help us suggest ideas to others.
You can download and read the participant information sheet here, and the consent form here.​
If you would like to fill in the survey in paper-format you can download it here (posting instructions are provided in the information sheet).
If you have any queries about the REACH project or the survey, please contact elisa.habluetzelesposito@postgrad.setu.ie
The what
The aim of the REACH project is to develop a community-based support service that helps you, and the people who care about you, to become more physically active based on your needs and preferences.
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We are exploring different ways to support people:
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Online education materials
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Printable leaflets for cancer support centres
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Printable material to help you build and maintain your own exercise routine
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A directory of programs available across the Republic of Ireland
The how
To make sure we support people in the way they need, the REACH project will follow four steps:
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Conduct an online survey to undestand how many people with cancer are physically active during a typical week (click here to tell us about yours)
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Hold discussions with people to understand what support they need to be active, and with cancer support centre managers to explore what support can provide.
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Review the physical activity resources currently available online and evaluate their quality.
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Test a possible support service in cancer support centres to see whether it is useful for people living with and beyond cancer and feasible for centres to deliver.
Why is it important for a person with cancer?
As a person living with cancer, you might be experiencing symptoms caused by the disease itself or by its treatment.
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Studies have shown that both aerobic physical activity and strength training can improve anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue, health-related quality of life, lymphedema, physical function, bone health, and sleep quality [1]. There is also promising evidence that physical activity may reduce cardiotoxicity, nausea, pain, and help with treatment tolerance [1].
If you are still under treatment, doing some exercise could help you tolerating it [2], and might even improve its efficacy [3].
Doing as little as 30 minutes of light to moderate physical activity five days a week, along with simple strength exercises twice a week, can significantly improve your health and wellbeing [1].
This project aims to help you become more active or, if you are already active, provide advice and tools to maintain your activity.
If you support the aim of this project, please consider completing our survey.
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If you would like to know more about how to be more physically active click here.
Glossary
Physical activity is any bodily movement that requires more energy that simply sitting or laying down.
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Aerobic physical activity is any movement that increase your breath and heart rate.
Strengh training is made of exercises that improve the capacity of your muscles to produce a tension. It allows to carry heavy loads and move your body (e.g., doing the house chores, going upstairs, standing up from a chair) more easily.
Strengthening exercises include bodyweight exercises like squats and push ups and resistance exercises performed with elastic bands or weights (e.g., dumbells, barbells, water bottles).
References
1. Campbell, K. L., Winters-Stone, K. M., Wiskemann, J., May, A. M., Schwartz, A. L., Courneya, K. S., Zucker, D. S., Matthews, C. E., Ligibel, J. A., Gerber, L. H., Morris, G. S., Patel, A. V., Hue, T. F., Perna, F. M., & Schmitz, K. H. (2019). Exercise Guidelines for Cancer Survivors: Consensus Statement from International Multidisciplinary Roundtable. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 51(11), 2375–2390. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000002116
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2. Bland, K. A., Zadravec, K., Landry, T., Weller, S., Meyers, L., & Campbell, K. L. (2019). Impact of exercise on chemotherapy completion rate: A systematic review of the evidence and recommendations for future exercise oncology research. Critical reviews in oncology/hematology, 136, 79–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.critrevonc.2019.02.005
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3. Yang, L., Morielli, A. R., Heer, E., Kirkham, A. A., Cheung, W. Y., Usmani, N., ... & Courneya, K. S. (2021). Effects of exercise on cancer treatment efficacy: a systematic review of preclinical and clinical studies. Cancer research, 81(19), 4889-4895.