Exercise social support, barriers, and instructions in venous thromboembolism survivors: a descriptive study

BACKGROUND: Diagnosis of venous thromboembolism (VTE) can be a significant life event that leads to changes in physical activity and exercise. Currently, little is known about the psychosocial experiences of survivors including perceived sources of social support, exercise barriers, and instructions for exercise from medical providers. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to explore psychosocial characteristics associated with VTE survivors’ postdiagnosis exercise. Specifically, 1) what are the main sources of social support utilized by VTE survivors for exercise, 2) what are the most significant exercise barriers (eg, physical, social, and psychological) faced by VTE survivors, and 3) what specific information relative to exercise is provided by medical professionals following diagnosis? METHODS: VTE survivors (n = 472) were recruited through social media groups to participate in open-ended questions about psychosocial characteristics pertaining to postdiagnosis exercise. RESULTS: VTE survivors reported multiple forms of exercise social support, although almost 1 in 4 participants reported having no support for exercise. Several postdiagnosis exercise barriers were noted, and the data indicated a wide variety of information from their medical providers regarding engaging in exercise following their diagnosis, suggesting that the unique benefits and drawbacks to these instructions should be examined in more detail. CONCLUSION: Although VTE survivors identified numerous categories of social support, there also exist numerous barriers, including a lack of standardized instructions for exercise. Further exploration of these characteristics is needed to better serve this population to encourage postdiagnosis exercise.