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Table 2 Effect of exercise on fatigue based on an intention-to-treat analysis

From: Effects of an 18-week exercise programme started early during breast cancer treatment: a randomised controlled trial

Ā Ā Ā 

Baseline to 18Ā weeks (i.e., post intervention)

Baseline to 36Ā weeks

Ā Ā 

Baseline

Within-group difference

Between-group difference

Within-group difference

Between-group difference

Ā Ā 

Mean (SD)

Mean

[95Ā % CI]

Mean

[95Ā % CI]

ES

Mean

[95Ā % CI]

Mean

[95Ā % CI]

ES

Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory

Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā 

ā€ƒGeneral fatigue

UC

10.6 (4.1)

2.3

[1.4 to 3.3]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

0.7

[āˆ’0.3 to 1.6]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 
Ā 

I

10.1 (4.3)

1.9

[1.0 to 2.8]

āˆ’1.0

[āˆ’2.1 to 0.1]

āˆ’0.23

0.3

[āˆ’0.7 to 1.2]

āˆ’0.9

[āˆ’2.1 to 0.3]

āˆ’0.22

ā€ƒPhysical fatigue

UC

10.6 (4.1)

2.2

[1.3 to 3.2]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

āˆ’0.4

[āˆ’1.4 to 0.6]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 
Ā 

I

9.9 (4.3)

1.6

[0.7 to 2.5]

āˆ’1.3

[āˆ’2.5 to āˆ’0.1]

āˆ’0.30

āˆ’0.3

[āˆ’1.3 to 0.6]

āˆ’0.5

[āˆ’1.7 to 0.8]

āˆ’0.11

ā€ƒMental fatigue

UC

10.2 (4.1)

1.5

[0.6 to 2.4]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

1.0

[0.1 to 1.9]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 
Ā 

I

9.8 (4.0)

1.6

[0.8 to 2.5]

0.0

[āˆ’1.2 to 1.2]

0.01

0.6

[āˆ’0.3 to 1.5]

āˆ’0.6

[āˆ’1.8 to 0.7]

āˆ’0.15

ā€ƒReduced motivation

UC

8.7 (3.4)

āˆ’0.3

[āˆ’1.0 to 0.5]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

āˆ’1.5

[āˆ’2.3 to āˆ’0.8]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 
Ā 

I

8.0 (3.5)

āˆ’0.2

[āˆ’0.9 to 0.5]

āˆ’0.2

[āˆ’1.1 to 0.7]

āˆ’0.06

āˆ’0.6

[āˆ’1.3 to 0.1]

0.7

[āˆ’0.2 to 1.7]

0.21

ā€ƒReduced activity

UC

10.5 (3.7)

1.2

[0.3 to 2.1]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

āˆ’1.1

[āˆ’2.0 to āˆ’0.2]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 
Ā 

I

10.3 (3.8)

1.0

[0.1 to 1.9]

āˆ’0.4

[āˆ’1.5 to 0.8]

āˆ’0.09

āˆ’1.5

[āˆ’2.3 to āˆ’0.6]

āˆ’0.4

[āˆ’1.6 to 0.7]

āˆ’0.11

Fatigue Quality List

Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā 

ā€ƒFrustrating

UC

22.8 (24.7)

9.8

[3.6 to 16.0]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

2.8

[āˆ’3.6 to 9.1]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 
Ā 

I

15.9 (19.2)

7.9

[1.9 to 13.8]

āˆ’7.6

[āˆ’15.5 to 0.3]

āˆ’0.34

6.0

[āˆ’0.1 to 12.1]

āˆ’2.2

[āˆ’10.4 to 5.9]

āˆ’0.10

ā€ƒExhausting

UC

6.9 (16.6)

4.9

[0.7 to 9.2]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

āˆ’2.4

[āˆ’6.7 to 2.0]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 
Ā 

I

6.9 (15.4)

5.0

[0.9 to 9.0]

0.8

[āˆ’4.6 to 6.2]

0.05

āˆ’0.7

[āˆ’4.9 to 3.5]

2.5

[āˆ’3.1 to 8.1]

0.16

ā€ƒPleasant

UC

26.3 (20.7)

āˆ’4.6

[āˆ’9.6 to 0.3]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

3.0

[āˆ’2.1 to 8.1]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 
Ā 

I

29.2 (20.6)

āˆ’4.3

[āˆ’9.1 to 0.4]

2.6

[āˆ’3.2 to 8.5]

0.13

1.5

[āˆ’3.4 to 6.3]

0.5

[āˆ’5.6 to 6.6]

0.02

ā€ƒFrightening

UC

8.8 (17.1)

āˆ’1.4

[āˆ’5.0 to 2.2]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

āˆ’4.9

[āˆ’8.6 to āˆ’1.2]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 
Ā 

I

12.5 (17.5)

āˆ’3.3

[āˆ’6.7 to 0.2]

0.2

[āˆ’3.7 to 4.2]

0.01

āˆ’3.9

[āˆ’7.4 to āˆ’0.3]

2.9

[āˆ’1.2 to 7.0]

0.17

  1. ES effect size, I intervention group, UC usual care group
  2. Except for the pleasant dimension of the Fatigue Quality List, negative ES for fatigue dimensions indicate effects in favour of the exercise intervention group
  3. Between-group effects were assessed using mixed models including the measurements obtained at 18 and 36Ā weeks, adjusted for age, hospital, radiotherapy, use of tissue expander, receptor status and the value of the outcome variable at baseline
  4. Within-group effects were assessed using mixed models including the measurements obtained at baseline, 18 and 36Ā weeks, adjusted for age, hospital, radiotherapy, use of tissue expander, and receptor status
  5. Baseline results and within-group differences were based on participants having baseline measurements (102 participants in each group). Between-group differences were based on participants for whom measurements at 18 or 36Ā weeks were available (93 intervention and 89 usual care)