AIM:To examine the relationship between spiritual fitness and overall physical fitness,and their resulting impact on feelings of depression and anxiety in individuals being treated for cancer.METHODS:Thirty patients completed the McGill Quality of Life questionnaire and the Spiritual Fitness Assessment survey,and were asked to classify themselves as“Religious”or“Non-Religious”.After the questionnaires were completed,each patient underwent a comprehensive fitness assessment,which included assessments for VO2max,muscular strength and endurance,flexibility,and body composition,as well as height,weight,and resting heart rate and blood pressure.The data collected were averaged and analyzed using a one-way ANOVA test at the 0.05 level of significance.RESULTS:Of the 30 participants,17 classified themselves as“religious”(R)and 13 classified themselves as“nonreligious”(NR).The R group had a higher body fat percentage and a lower VO2max than the NR group.However,these results were not significant.It was also determined that the R group scored themselves significantly higher than the NR group on the Spiritual Fitness questionnaire,but reported significantly higher levels of depression and anxiety than their non-religious counterparts.CONCLUSION:Health beliefs did not necessarily back up health practice;specifically,those respondents who classified themselves as“religious”reported that their beliefs positively influenced their health behaviors,yet physiological and psychological data did not support this claim.