Assessment of Cancer Survivors’ Experiences of Using a Publicly Available Physical Activity Mobile Application

Abstract

BackgroundRegular participation in physical activity (PA) is associated with improved physical and psychosocial outcomes in cancer survivors. However, PA levels are low during and after cancer treatment. Interventions to promote PA in this population are needed. PA mobile apps are popular and have potential to increase PA participation, but little is known about how appropriate or relevant they are for cancer survivors.ObjectiveThis study aims to (1) assess recruitment, study uptake, and engagement for a publicly available PA mobile app (GAINFitness) intervention in cancer survivors; (2) assess cancer survivors’ attitudes towards the app; (3) understand how the app could be adapted to better meet the needs of cancer survivors; and (4) to determine the potential for change in PA participation and psychosocial outcomes over a 6-week period of using the app.MethodsThe present study was a one-arm, pre-post design. Cancer survivors (N=11) aged 33 to 62 years with a mean (SD) age of 45 (9.4), and 82% (9/11) female, were recruited (via community/online convenience sampling to use the app for 6 weeks). Engagement with the app was measured using self-reported frequency and duration of usage. Qualitative semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted after the 6-week study period and were analyzed using thematic analysis. PA, well-being, fatigue, quality of life (QOL), sleep quality, and anxiety and depression were self-reported at baseline and at a 6-week follow-up using the Godin Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ), the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G), the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT)-Fatigue Scale Questionnaire, the Health and Quality of Life Outcomes (EQ5D) Questionnaire, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), respectively.ResultsOf the people who responded to the study advertisement, 73% (16/22) agreed to participate and 100% (11/11) of the participants who started the study completed all baseline and follow-up outcome measures and the telephone interview. On average, participants used the app twice a week for 25 minutes per session. Four themes were identified from the qualitative interviews surrounding the suitability of the app for cancer survivors and how it could be adapted: (1) barriers to PA, (2) receiving advice about PA from reliable sources, (3) tailoring the application to one’s lifestyle, and (4) receiving social support from others. Pre-post comparison showed significant increases in strenuous PA, improvements in sleep quality, and reductions in mild PA. There were no significant changes in moderate PA or other psychosocial outcomes.ConclusionsAll participants engaged with the app and qualitative interviews highlighted that the app was well-received. A generic PA mobile app could bring about positive improvements in PA participation and psychosocial outcomes among cancer survivors. However, a targeted PA app aimed specifically towards cancer survivors may increase the relevance and s...

Breast cancer survivors’ preferences for technology-supported exercise interventions

“…As technology-supported exercise interventions have demonstrated efficacy for increasing MVPA in other populations [15–18] and cellphones are becoming increasingly ubiquitous [19, 20], they may be a scalable, less resource-intensive strategy to reach more survivors. Despite their promise, only a few pilot studies have tested technology-supported exercise interventions among cancer survivors [21–23]. Among these studies, none included breast cancer survivors, and only a small number of ongoing studies are using technology to promote MVPA in this population [24, 25].…”

Cancer survivors’ experiences of a community-based cancer-specific exercise programme: results of an exploratory survey

“…Research also suggests exercise interventions for cancer survivors could be delivered through the use of technology [10,44,45]. A quarter of our respondents used exercise technology tools and that of the remaining non-users half had an interest in exploring such technology in the future.…”

Development of the mHealth App Trustworthiness checklist

“…38 Overall, 15 peer-reviewed Englishlanguage studies published between 2008-2018 were included in this review. [39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53] Based on the abovedescribed inclusion criteria, each of the 15 studies provided details about the features of physical activity apps that enhanced end-users' experience. In Table 1, we show the condensed themes designed for the focus group discussions.…”

“…Ancker, 2015 39 Giuinti, 2018 40 Guo, 2017 41 Hebden, 2012 42 Howe, 2016 43 Lau, 2018 44 Lee, 2017 45 Lobelo, 2016 46 Mohadis, 2016 47 Parpinel, 2017 48 Puszkiewicz, 2016 49 Robertson, 2017 50 Short, 2018 51 Wen, 2017 52 West, 2012 53 Positive feedback mechanisms X X X Real-time feedback on progress X X X X X Facilitate communication between healthcare professionals X X X X…”