The Exercise Perceptions of People Treated with Peritoneal Dialysis.

Background: Individuals receiving peritoneal dialysis (PD) report low levels of physical activity, which increases their risk of morbidity and mortality. Little is known about their perceptions towards barriers and benefits of exercise or physical activity.

Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of exercise among people receiving PD.

Study Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Participants: Thirty-nine adults (12 female and 27 male) with a mean age of 65 years and a median of 8 months receiving PD from one Australian dialysis service.

Measurements: The 26-item Dialysis Patient-Perceived Exercise Benefits and Barriers Survey was adapted to PD in order to measure self-reported barriers and benefits of exercise for people being treated with PD.

Results: The majority of the respondents reported positive perceptions towards exercise with 84.6% of the participants agreeing that exercise prevents muscular wasting; 71.8% agreed that exercise can postpone a decline in body function; and 69.2% agreed that exercise improves general well-being. In terms of barriers, symptoms including tiredness (69.2%) and body pain (43.6%), worrying about a fall (33.3%) and lack of exercise-related information (25.6%) were the main perceived barriers to exercise. Only 10% agreed that exercise may affect their PD catheter with 23% agreeing that fluid in their peritoneum was a barrier to exercise.

Conclusion: People on PD hold positive perceptions towards exercise but face a number of perceived barriers to physical activity. Clinicians can acknowledge these barriers and focus on helping people on PD to overcome their perceived barriers to encourage sustained exercise participation.