While self-reported pre-diagnosis sport participation was not significantly associated with health literacy or life satisfaction, motivational and cognitive factors such as positive attitudes and expectations toward physical activity were linked to health literacy and well-being in 316 German cancer patients.
Health literacy and life satisfaction were high in this sample of cancer patients.
Health literacy did not differ significantly by self-reported pre-diagnosis sport participation.
Life satisfaction did not differ significantly by self-reported pre-diagnosis sport participation.
More positive affective attitudes toward physical activity were significantly correlated with health-related expectations toward physical activity.
More positive affective attitudes toward physical activity were significantly correlated with body-related motives for physical activity.
More positive affective attitudes toward physical activity were weakly but significantly correlated with life satisfaction.
Use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) was frequent, particularly vitamin and supplement use.
Motivational and cognitive factors, such as positive attitudes and expectations, were linked to health literacy and well-being, whereas sport participation was not.
This study surveyed 316 people with cancer at a cancer center and eleven oncology practices across Germany in 2024. The questionnaire asked about health literacy (the ability to find and understand health information), sport and physical activity, attitudes and expectations about exercise, use of complementary and alternative medicine, spirituality, nutrition, and life satisfaction. On average, participants reported fairly high health literacy and life satisfaction. Whether people had been physically active in sports before their diagnosis was not significantly related to their health literacy or life satisfaction. What did stand out was how people felt about exercise: those with more positive feelings about physical activity also tended to expect health benefits from it, to have body-related reasons for exercising, and to report somewhat higher life satisfaction (a weak link). Supplement use was common, with about 45% taking vitamin D and about 38% taking other vitamins or supplements. This research suggests that attitudes and expectations about physical activity may matter more for well-being than past sport participation alone. The authors argue that supportive communication, motivational counseling, and improving health literacy could be useful parts of integrative cancer care. Because the study is a cross-sectional survey, it shows associations only and cannot show that attitudes cause better well-being.
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Upload Your LabsOstendorf F, Hintze E, Schütze L, Keinki C, Lubgan D, Fischer von Weikersthal L, et al.. (2026). Associations between physical activity expectations, health literacy, and life satisfaction in cancer patients: results of a quantitative cross-sectional study.. Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-026-06653-z