Abstract
Objectives: Being a member of a cohesive group could provide a source of high‐quality social support that could positively impact the quality of life in cancer survivors. In a nonrandomized trial, we compared group cohesion in a team‐oriented (dragon boat paddling team) and non‐team‐oriented (group walking program) group physical activity intervention. We hypothesized that group cohesion would be stronger among those who participated in the team‐oriented dragon boat paddling team compared to the group walking program.
Participants and Methods: 122/134 (91%) of participants who enrolled in the study completed the eight‐week physical activity programs, dragon boat paddling team (n=68) or group walking program (n=54). Group cohesion was measured post‐intervention using a modified 11 item version of the Group Environment Questionnaire. We tested differences in median cohesion scores between paddlers and walkers using the Wilcoxon Rank Sum test, a nonparametric equivalent of the t‐test which is robust to deviations from the normality assumption.
Results: Following completion of the group physical activity program, the median group cohesion score for paddlers was statistically significantly higher than for walkers (paddlers=4.36, walkers=3.73, p=0.004).
Conclusions: Participating in a team sport was associated with significantly higher group cohesion even in comparison to a group physical activity program that was not team oriented. These novel findings suggest that team‐oriented physical activity programs such as dragon boat paddling may provide a greater opportunity for social support through increased group cohesion than a group‐based walking program. Future studies should examine the mechanisms underlying these differences and the outcomes associated with increased cohesion. Among cancer survivors, team membership may provide a natural source of social support.
Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2010;3(1 Suppl):A118.
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