Quality of Life Measures
Quality of life is measured using a variety of surveys. The most common of these surveys is the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), which measures several categories of physical functioning, as well as containing a Mental Health Component (MCS). Another commonly used quality of life measure is the Dutch RAND-36. Masala, etl al (2012) used the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and the 36-item Medical Outcomes Study as well as the SF-36. The van Ginneken et al. (2010) study employed the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP-68), Impact on Participation and Autonomy (IPA) scale, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) in addition to the RAND-36.
Physical Activities Measures
Physical activity is measured with a number of self-assessment and objective tools including peak oxygen uptake during cycle ergometry, walking distance in a timed exercise, "isokinetic muscle strength of knee extensors, body mass index, waist circumference, skinfold thickness," and severity of fatigue (van Ginneken, et al., 2007, p. 345). Masala et al. (2012) used the Metabolic Equivalent (MET), which measures amount of time spent in physical activity, expressed in minutes per week. Van den Berg-Emons (2006) relied on additional measures such as the Activity Monitor (AM), and the Fatigue Severity Scale.
3. Intervention
Those that did use interventions generally relied on exercise and diet interventions involving counseling coupled with food and exercise diaries. Roi et al. (2011) used cardiovascular and strengthening exercises on the stationary bike. The van Ginneken et al. (2010) study used supervised exercise training plus counseling for 12 weeks.
4. Summaries
All the studies point to prior literature showing that liver transplant recipients experience poorer quality of life, measured on standardized evaluated surveys such as the RAND-36 and the SF-36. Van den Berg-Emons et al. (2006) found, however, that there was no statistically significant difference between the transplantation group and the non-transplantation group in terms of levels of physical activity reported, and suggest that fatigue and quality of life are more closely connected with the amount of activity performed. Moreover, all studies note that liver transplantation has the potential to reduce rates of physical activity, which compounds the low quality of life. Based on this evidence, several of the studies employ interventions that are designed to increase physical activity and improve diet. Van Ginneken, et al. (2007), Masala, et al. (2012), Rongies et al. (2011), and Van Den…
