Making guidelines for recovering decreased physical fitness of children receiving cancer treatment.

2001 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 11610297
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Educaion
• Research Institution: Seinan Jo Gakuin University
• Principal Investigator: TANIGAWA Koji Seinan Jo Gakuin University, Faculty of Health and Welfare, Associate Professor, 保健福祉学部, 助教授 (80279364)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): INADA Hiroko University, School of Medicine, Assistant, 医学部・小児科, 助手 (90223221) ; KOMAMATSU Hitoko National College of Nursing, Japan, Faculty of Nrusing, Professor, 看護学部, 教授 (20195853) ; INAKI Mitsuharu Seinan Jo Gakuin University, Faculty of Health and Welfare, Associate Professor, 保健福祉学部, 助教授 (20261787) ; TSUKIMOTO Ichiro Toho University, School of Medicine, Professor, 医学部・小児科, 教授 (70100964)
• Project Period (FY): 1999 – 2001
• Keywords: childhood cancer / physical fitness / fatigue / rchabilitation / returning to school / physical therapy / guideline / leukemia

Research Abstract

We have published 2 brochures based on our findings and principles of exercise prescription ; the one shows the guidelines and some examples for parents to help their children receiving cancer treatment recover their physical fitness, the other shows some examples of physical activities for hospitalized children.
Physical fitness (grasp strength, back strength, vertical jump, and standing trunk flexion) and daily activities of 46 children who were receiving cancer treatment or in off therapy were investigated. The results of questionnaire for parents showed as follows : 1) 39 (84.8%) experienced decrease of physical fitness during their hospitalization. 2) Some of them hardly walked around or went up and down stairs immediately after leaving their hospitals. 3) Physical fitness of 20 children did not recover to each level before onset.
When we examined their physical fitness, we had some findings as follows : 1) 8 (17.4%) had low levels (below -2SD) of grip strength. 2) 10 (21.7%) had low levels (below -2SD) of back strength. 3) 17 (37.0%) had low levels (below -2SD) of vertical jump. 4) 10 (21.7%) had low levels (-2SD) of standing trunk flexion. 5) Children who received blood stem cell transplantation significantly showed lower levels of grip strength, back strength and standing trunk flexion than those who received or were receiving chemotherapy (P< 05). 6) Cross-sectional analysis showed physical fitness levels hardly recover for a long time after treatment. Longitudinal analysis and other investigations are needed for verification of our findings.