Influence of physical activity and sedentary behaviour on anxiety and depression among breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy: a longitudinal cross-sectional study.
5 affiliations
- 1Chair and Department of Medical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland.
- 2Hospital Pharmacy, Greater Poland Cancer Centre, Poznan, Poland.
- 3Department of Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Poland.
- 4Department of Public Health, Faculty of Public Health in Bytom, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Bytom, Poland.
- 5Jozef Pilsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
Abstract
Breast cancer is most commonly associated with psychological distress, particularly anxiety and depression. While physical activity has been shown to mitigate these symptoms, sedentary behaviour may contribute to their worsening. We aimed to assess changes in symptoms of anxiety/depression over time and to examine their associations with physical activity and sedentary behaviour in women undergoing chemotherapy. Sixty women aged 40-80 years with histopathologically confirmed breast cancer after surgery were consecutively recruited using purposive sampling. Each participant was assessed twice: before initiation of chemotherapy and six weeks later. Physical activity and sedentary behaviour were measured using the Polish version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-L), whereas symptoms of anxiety and depression were assessed with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Statistical analyses included paired tests and correlation analyses (Spearman's coefficients). Symptoms of anxiety/depression significantly decreased between assessments (p = 0.001 and p = 0.031, respectively). Higher daily walking time was inversely correlated with depression (ρ = -0.399, p = 0.002) and anxiety (ρ = -0.317, p = 0.014). Conversely, sedentary time was positively associated with both depression (ρ = 0.292, p = 0.023) and anxiety (ρ = 0.284, p = 0.028). No significant associations were found between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and psychological symptoms. Among clinical factors, only age and HER2 status showed notable influence. In this sample, higher levels of walking were associated with lower anxiety and depression scores, while greater sedentary time was linked with higher symptom levels. These associations suggest that encouraging accessible physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviour may represent useful components of supportive oncological care.
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BibTeX
@article{grupinska2026influence,
title = {{Influence of physical activity and sedentary behaviour on anxiety and depression among breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy: a longitudinal cross-sectional study.}},
author = {Joanna Grupińska and Tomasz Jurys and Mateusz Grajek and Magdalena Budzyń and Ewa Malchrowicz-Mośko},
journal = {Reports of practical oncology and radiotherapy : journal of Greatpoland Cancer Center in Poznan and Polish Society of Radiation Oncology},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.5603/rpor.113329},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42997857},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Influence of physical activity and sedentary behaviour on anxiety and depression among breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy: a longitudinal cross-sectional study.
AU - Joanna Grupińska
AU - Tomasz Jurys
AU - Mateusz Grajek
AU - Magdalena Budzyń
AU - Ewa Malchrowicz-Mośko
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/01
JO - Reports of practical oncology and radiotherapy : journal of Greatpoland Cancer Center in Poznan and Polish Society of Radiation Oncology
DO - 10.5603/rpor.113329
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42997857
AB - Breast cancer is most commonly associated with psychological distress, particularly anxiety and depression. While physical activity has been shown to mitigate these symptoms, sedentary behaviour may contribute to their worsening. We aimed to assess changes in symptoms of anxiety/depression over time and to examine their associations with physical activity and sedentary behaviour in women undergoing chemotherapy. Sixty women aged 40-80 years with histopathologically confirmed breast cancer after surgery were consecutively recruited using purposive sampling. Each participant was assessed twice: before initiation of chemotherapy and six weeks later. Physical activity and sedentary behaviour were measured using the Polish version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-L), whereas symptoms of anxiety and depression were assessed with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Statistical analyses included paired tests and correlation analyses (Spearman's coefficients). Symptoms of anxiety/depression significantly decreased between assessments (p = 0.001 and p = 0.031, respectively). Higher daily walking time was inversely correlated with depression (ρ = -0.399, p = 0.002) and anxiety (ρ = -0.317, p = 0.014). Conversely, sedentary time was positively associated with both depression (ρ = 0.292, p = 0.023) and anxiety (ρ = 0.284, p = 0.028). No significant associations were found between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and psychological symptoms. Among clinical factors, only age and HER2 status showed notable influence. In this sample, higher levels of walking were associated with lower anxiety and depression scores, while greater sedentary time was linked with higher symptom levels. These associations suggest that encouraging accessible physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviour may represent useful components of supportive oncological care.
SN - 1507-1367
SN - 2083-4640
ER -