Who makes it all the way? Participants vs. decliners, and completers vs. drop-outs, in a 6-month exercise trial during cancer treatment : Results from the Phys-Can RCT

Abstract Purpose To compare sociodemographic, health- and exercise-related characteristics of participants vs. decliners, and completers vs. drop-outs, in an exercise intervention trial during cancer treatment. Methods Patients with newly diagnosed breast, prostate, or colorectal cancer were invited to participate in a 6-month exercise intervention. Background data for all respondents (n = 2051) were collected at baseline by questionnaire and medical records. Additional data were collected using an extended questionnaire, physical activity monitors, and fitness testing for trial participants (n = 577). Moreover, a sub-group of decliners (n = 436) consented to additional data collection by a…