Feasibility and acceptability of active book clubs in cancer survivors – an explorative investigation

Figures & data

Table 1. Baseline characteristics of all participants divided into dropouts and completers.

Variables	All participants n = 17	Dropouts n = 9	Completers n = 8
Sex (female), n (%)	12 (71)	6 (67)	6 (75)
Age (years), median (IQR)	58 (48–69)	52 (45–69)	62 (52–70)
BMI, median (IQR)	27 (24–31)	29 (26–33)	24 (24–28)
Marital status (married/in a  relationship), n (%)	10 (59)	5 (56)	5 (63)
Education, n (%)
Short (<3 years)	5 (29)	2 (22)	3 (38)
Medium (3–4 years)	10 (59)	6 (67)	4 (50)
Higher (≥5 years)	2 (12)	1 (11)	1 (13)
Employment (employed), n (%)	7 (41)	3 (33)	4 (50)
Cancer diagnosis, n (%)
Prostate cancer	5 (29)	3 (33)	2 (25)
Breast cancer	4 (24)	2 (22)	2 (25)
Cervical cancer	2 (12)	1 (11)	1 (13)
Lung cancer	1 (6)	0 (0)	1 (13)
Colon cancer	1 (6)	1 (11)	0 (0)
Lymphoma	1 (6)	0 (0)	1 (13)
Multiple myeloma	1 (6)	1 (11)	0 (0)
Uterine cancer	1 (6)	0 (0)	1 (13)
Ovarian cancer	1 (6)	1 (11)	0 (0)
Years since cancer diagnosis,  median (IQR)	4 (1–7)	4 (2–6)	3 (1–9)
Reading frequency of fiction, n (%)
Daily or almost daily	6 (35)	3 (33)	3 (38)
Weekly	3 (18)	0 (0)	3 (38)
Monthly	4 (24)	3 (33)	1 (13)
More seldom	4 (24)	3 (33)	1 (13)
Physical activity level, n (%)^a
Sedentary	2 (12)	1 (11)	1 (13)
Light PA 2–4 hours/week	10 (59)	4 (44)	6 (75)
Moderate PA ≥3 hours/week	3 (18)	3 (33)	0 (0)
Vigorous PA >4 hours/week	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)
Missing data	2 (12)	1 (11)	1 (13)
CES-D (0–60), n (%)
Below cutoff (0–15)	12 (71)	5 (56)	7 (88)
Above cutoff (≥16)	5 (29)	4 (44)	1 (13)
HADS-anxiety (0–21), n (%)
Below cutoff (0–7)	10 (59)	5 (56)	5 (63)
Mild anxiety (8–10)	2 (12)	1 (11)	1 (13)
Moderate anxiety (11–14)	5 (29)	3 (33)	2 (25)
HADS-depression (0–21), n (%)
Below cutoff (0–7)	14 (82)	7 (78)	7 (88)
Mild depression (8–10)	1 (6)	0 (0)	1 (13)
Moderate depression (11–14)	2 (12)	2 (22)	0 (0)
PSQI (0–21), n (%)
Below cutoff (0–5)	6 (35)	1 (11)	5 (63)
Above cutoff (6–21)	11 (65)	8 (89)	3 (38)

BMI: body mass index; CES-D: Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression; completers: participants with available data at baseline, midway and post-intervention; HADS: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; IQR: interquartile range; PA: physical activity; PSQI: Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index.

^a Physical activity level is measured by means of the Saltin-Grimby Physical Activity Level Scale.

Figure 1. Flow of participants through the study.

Table 2. Overview of themes and subthemes.

Themes	Subthemes
Motivation and expectations (i.e. reasons for enrollment)	• Learning how to read again • Lack of interest in physical activity • A non-cancer agenda
Attentive listening (i.e. experiences of the audio book format)	• Meaningful activity • Keeping focus • The role of the narrator • Escape from own concerns
Affected by the story (i.e. experiences of the content of the books)	• Emotional sensitivity • Protecting one’s self from distress • Invitation to enter into a new universe
Group involvement (i.e. experiences of the book club meetings)	• Purposeful relatedness • Commitment and respect • Learning from others’ experiences
Walking regularly (i.e. experiences of the walking program)	• Self-monitoring • Feeling proud • Integration of mind and body