Physical activity in women with ovarian cancer and its association with decreased distress and improved quality of life

Objectives: To document levels of and changes in physical activity before and after ovarian cancer diagnosis and explore associations with psychosocial outcomes. Methods: Of 1207 eligible Australian Ovarian Cancer Study (AOCS) participants, 798 participated in an additional prospective Quality of Life (QoL) Study which measured anxiety, depression and QoL at 3–6 monthly intervals for 2 years beginning 3–48 months after diagnosis. AOCS asked about physical activity before diagnosis and 530 women also completed a one‐off lifestyle questionnaire 7–64 months after diagnosis which assessed activity during their first and, if relevant, second‐to‐third and fourth‐to‐sixth years following diagnosis. Analysis of variance was used to relate physical activity to psychosocial outcomes. Results: Almost 40% of women decreased their physical activity in the first year after diagnosis. Approximately 25% still had lower levels after 2–3 and 4+years. Recent physical activity level was inversely associated with depression and positively associated with QoL (P