Exercise for Oncology Care Professionals (C4C+)

The Cost of Caring: Examining the Role of Exercise in Mitigating Oncology Care Provider Burnout (C4C+)

The goal of this preference-based pilot study will be to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and impact of a 12-week exercise intervention on oncology care provider burnout, compassion fatigue, and well-being. Participants will be divided into one of three exercise groups. Group assignment will be based on participant preference. Group 1: Supervised circuit-based resistance exercise (2 days/week) Group 2: Supervised circuit-based resistance exercise (2 days/week) + moderate-to-high intensity home-based walking/light jogging program (3 days/week) Group 3: Self-paced home-based walking program (3 days/week)

12-week, supervised twice weekly circuit-based resistance training program plus home-based (unsupervised) brisk walking/light jogging program 3 days/week.

Participants will engage in a 12-week, twice weekly circuit-based resistance training program. Each supervised session will last about 25 minutes and will consist of 5 resistance exercises. Each exercise will be completed for 1 minute for a total of 5 minutes followed by a 1-minute rest. The circuit will then repeated 3 additional times (total of 4 circuits). All resistance sessions will be supervised by a certified fitness professionals.

Participants will engage in a 12-week, twice weekly circuit-based resistance training program. Each supervised session will last about 25 minutes and will consist of 5 resistance exercises. Each exercise will be completed for 1 minute for a total of 5 minutes followed by a 1-minute rest. The circuit will then repeated 3 additional times (total of 4 circuits). All resistance sessions will be supervised by a certified fitness professionals. Participants will also be asked to engage in 25 minutes of brisk power walking or light jogging at home (unsupervised) 3 days/week for 25 minutes on days when they have not engaged in resistance training.

Participants will be asked to engage in 25 minutes of self-paced walking at home (unsupervised) 3 days/week.

Exit interview is used to assess factors influencing participant selection of intervention type/setting, adherence to and satisfaction with the selected intervention.

Attendance is calculated as the percentage of exercise sessions completed by the total number of available exercise sessions over the 12-week intervention.

The MBI-MP is used to assess burnout in medical professionals. The 22-item, 7-point Likert scale (0 = never to 6 = everyday) assesses burnout across three dimensions: emotional exhaustion (9 items), personal accomplishment (8 items), and depersonalization (5-items).

The 30-item ProQOL is used to assess compassion fatigue (10 items), compassion satisfaction (10 items), and burnout (10 items). Items are scored on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = never to 5 = very often).

The 21-item DASS is used to assess symptoms associated with three negative emotional states: depression, anxiety, and stress. Each scale contains 7-items scored on a 4-point severity/frequency scale.

Self-reported physical activity is assessed by the Godin Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire. Higher scores indicate higher levels of physical activity. Participants reporting moderate-to-strenuous Leisure Score Index ≥ 24 are classified as active; those reporting moderate-to-strenuous Leisure Score Index ≤ 23 are classified as insufficiently active.

Inclusion Criteria: 18 years of age or older Must be providing formal (paid) care to cancer patients in a clinical setting Actively practicing within the Nova Scotia Cancer Care Program Exclusion Criteria: Exceeding Canadian physical activity guidelines of 150-minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week Any health condition that would preclude safe participation in a new exercise program