Barriers and facilitators to physical activity participation for child, adolescent, and young adult cancer survivors: a systematic review

Purpose The aim of this systematic review is to explore and describe the barriers and facilitators to physical activity (PA) participation for child, adolescent, and young adult cancer survivors. Methods MEDLINE, Embase, AMED, CINAHL, Cochrane, and Web of Science were searched for manuscripts published between January 2000 and February 2021. To be included in this review, studies had to report qualitative or quantitative data on barriers and facilitators to PA participation in child (4 to < 10 years), adolescent (10 to 19 years), and young adult (> 19 to < 40 years) cancer survivors. Six independent reviewers assessed methodological quality using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT-version 18) in duplicate. Results Fifteen studies were included in this systematic review. Fatigue and psychological factors were the most prevalent barriers shared between children, adolescents, and young adults. Support from others was a shared facilitator between age groups. Conclusion Psychological barriers and social support are important to address in younger cancer survivors. Clinicians can use these findings to create exercise interventions to facilitate and overcome barriers to PA participation. Implications for Cancer Survivors While PA is beneficial for cancer survivors of all ages, different barriers and facilitators to PA participation exist depending on a survivors age and life stage. Survivors should discuss PA with their healthcare team at all timepoints in the cancer treatment trajectory in order to gain the associated benefits during and after treatment.