UC San Diego

The purpose of this study was to describe fatigue and the utility of the Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory-Short Form (MFSI-SF) to assess fatigue among Latino cancer patients. Twenty-two female and thirteen male Latino cancer patients participated in one of seven focus groups that took place in the southern California USA-Mexico border region. Participants were asked to describe their fatigue experiences; participants also completed the MFSI-SF and provided feedback about the items. Content analyses indicate that there are gender differences in the salience of the challenges that fatigue poses. Men tended to focus on physical symptoms, whereas women tended to focus on the impairment in role fulfillment. Findings have implications for intervention and health education efforts in Latino cancer patients.