TY - JOUR
T1 - Promoting physical activity in glioma patients
T2 - Insights from Dutch healthcare professionals
AU - Blom, Marieke E. C.
AU - Gorter, Maxine
AU - de Witt Hamer, Philip C.
AU - Niers, Johanna M.
AU - Jelsma, Judith G. M.
AU - Klein, Martin
AU - Douw, Linda
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2026. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Neuro-Oncology and the European Association of Neuro-Oncology. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
PY - 2026/8/1
Y1 - 2026/8/1
N2 - Background: Although physical activity may play a significant role in enhancing quality of life for glioma patients, its integration into clinical care remains underexplored. This study assessed the experiences, perspectives, and barriers of healthcare professionals in promoting physical activity for glioma patients. Methods: An online survey with 19 questions was distributed to Dutch healthcare professionals registered with the Dutch Neuro-Oncology Society (LWNO). Additionally, professionals were individually asked to remind and invite their colleagues to participate. Participants provided informed consent. Results: Fifty-five professionals from 20 centers completed the survey, mainly neurologists (35%) and nurses (33%). Most professionals (58%) indicated receiving frequent questions about physical activity, particularly regarding safety and appropriate activities. Additionally, 76% stated they often proactively provide advice, recommending low-intensity activities like walking. Key barriers to making such recommendations included limited information materials (37%), knowledge (33%), and referral options (27%). Professionals’ concerns about physical activity included risks of overexertion and patient discouragement if activity would prove too challenging. Despite these challenges, 89% supported integrating physical activity into glioma care, and 56% expressed a need for specific guidelines. While professionals believe in the benefits for symptom management and quality of life, 62% were neutral about the strength of supporting evidence. Conclusions: In this sample, physical activity is frequently discussed in glioma care, but recommendations are mostly inappropriate due to limited knowledge, resources, and guidance. Existing guidelines are rarely applied in practice. Future research should accumulate evidence, develop tailored guidelines, and equip professionals with tools to truly integrate physical activity into practice.
AB - Background: Although physical activity may play a significant role in enhancing quality of life for glioma patients, its integration into clinical care remains underexplored. This study assessed the experiences, perspectives, and barriers of healthcare professionals in promoting physical activity for glioma patients. Methods: An online survey with 19 questions was distributed to Dutch healthcare professionals registered with the Dutch Neuro-Oncology Society (LWNO). Additionally, professionals were individually asked to remind and invite their colleagues to participate. Participants provided informed consent. Results: Fifty-five professionals from 20 centers completed the survey, mainly neurologists (35%) and nurses (33%). Most professionals (58%) indicated receiving frequent questions about physical activity, particularly regarding safety and appropriate activities. Additionally, 76% stated they often proactively provide advice, recommending low-intensity activities like walking. Key barriers to making such recommendations included limited information materials (37%), knowledge (33%), and referral options (27%). Professionals’ concerns about physical activity included risks of overexertion and patient discouragement if activity would prove too challenging. Despite these challenges, 89% supported integrating physical activity into glioma care, and 56% expressed a need for specific guidelines. While professionals believe in the benefits for symptom management and quality of life, 62% were neutral about the strength of supporting evidence. Conclusions: In this sample, physical activity is frequently discussed in glioma care, but recommendations are mostly inappropriate due to limited knowledge, resources, and guidance. Existing guidelines are rarely applied in practice. Future research should accumulate evidence, develop tailored guidelines, and equip professionals with tools to truly integrate physical activity into practice.
KW - brain tumor
KW - care providers
KW - exercise
KW - glioma survivorship
KW - healthcare survey
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105044425217
U2 - 10.1093/nop/npag020
DO - 10.1093/nop/npag020
M3 - Article
C2 - 42453190
SN - 2054-2577
VL - 13
SP - 685
EP - 693
JO - Neuro-oncology practice
JF - Neuro-oncology practice
IS - 4
ER -