Physical activity among cancer survivors and those with no history of cancer- a report from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2006.

INTRODUCTION Cancer survivors are at greater risk for chronic diseases that make regular physical activity a challenge. The purpose of this manuscript was to compare physical activity levels among five-year cancer survivors and those with no history of cancer, and to determine risk factors for physical inactivity. METHODS Participants who completed the physical activity monitoring portion of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in 2003-04 and 2005-06 were included in these analyses. Physical activity collected via accelerometer was used to determine who completed recommended amounts of physical activity according to Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines. Associations between physical activity and cancer status were evaluated with multiple logistic regressions. RESULTS 95.5% of five-year cancer survivors and 87.3% of those with no cancer history did not meet the CDC guidelines. After adjusting for sex, age, race, education and chronic conditions, cancer survivors were 1.7 (95% CI: 1.0, 2.9) times more likely than those with no cancer history to fail to meet CDC guidelines for physical activity. CONCLUSIONS Neither the general population nor cancer survivors met the CDC guidelines for physical activity. Cancer survivors were less likely to meet recommendations and may need tailored interventions designed to take into account comorbid conditions to increase their physical activity levels.