Prevalence of Cancer Related Fatigue and Associated Factors among Cancer Patients at the Oncology Unit, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

Background: Cancer related fatigue is one of the most prevalent distressing cancer related symptom. Different studies reported a variety number for its prevalence in cancer patients. However, due to lack of studies, its prevalence and associated factors in developing countries remain ambiguous. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of cancer related fatigue and associated factors among cancer patients who were visiting the oncology unit of Felege Hiwot Comprehensive Specialized Hospital.

Methods: A cross sectional study design was conducted on 286 participants who were selected using systematic random sampling technique. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS version 23.

Results: The overall prevalence of clinically significant cancer related fatigue was 63.8%. About 36.3%and 27.5% of cancer patients were sever and moderate level of fatigue respectively. The contributing factors were: Age<40 years [AOR=3.742; 95% CI: 1.157-12.103], BMI<18.5 [AOR=0.363; 95% CI: 0.154-0.856],Anxiety [AOR=3.548; 95% CI: 1.543-8.159], Pain [AOR=2.718; 95% CI: 1.315-5.618] and Clinical Stage I and Stage II [AOR=4.049; 95% CI: 1.67-9.818] and [AOR=5.715; 95% CI: 2.113-15.460].

Conclusion: The prevalence of clinically significant cancer related fatigue was moderate. Age, BMI, clinical stage, anxiety and pain were factors which had statistically significant association with cancer related fatigue.

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