Health and Energy Through Active Living Every Day (HEALED) After Cancer Pilot Intervention for Cancer Survivors

Overview

The proposed pilot study will test the acceptability, feasibility, and safety of a twelve-week, two-arm randomized control intervention embedded within the Cancer Prevention Study-3 (CPS-3), a prospective cohort study of cancer incidence and mortality initiated by the American Cancer Society. The proposed Health and Energy through Active Living Every Day (HEALED) intervention is intended for survivors of a cancer with a 5-year survival (at Stage I and II) of at least 65% that has a strong level of evidence for association with physical inactivity according to the 2018 PA Guidelines Advisory Committee Report (breast, colon, endometrium, kidney, and bladder). In line with social cognitive theory behavior change techniques, participants will be provided information and skills necessary to be more physically active and less sedentary after a cancer diagnosis. New materials will be disseminated monthly through a website open only to participants, and include: at-home exercise demonstration videos, research news, discussion boards, success stories, infographics for exercise recommendations, etc. This intervention will add to the very minimal evidence base for PA interventions for diverse cancer survivors in a cost-effective manner.

The Health and Energy through Active Living Every Day (HEALED) after cancer pilot study is a randomized consent, parallel assignment twelve-week physical activity behavioral intervention. HEALED is intended for survivors of a cancer with a 5-year survival (at Stage I and II) of at least 65% that is categorized as having a strong level of evidence for association with physical inactivity according to the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee Report, which includes: breast, colon, endometrium, kidney, and bladder.(11) HEALED has a two-arm design, including an experimental group (n=50) and a wait-listed control group (n=50) which will be instructed to continue behavior "as-usual". Participants will be recruited through the Cancer Prevention Study-3 (CPS-3). CPS-3 is a prospective cohort study of cancer incidence and mortality initiated by the American Cancer Society (ACS). Over 254,000 CPS-3 participants aged 30 to 65 years with no history of cancer (except for basal or squamous cell skin cancer) completed a baseline survey at enrollment and are sent repeat surveys every three years to update exposure information.(17) All CPS-3 participants will be followed up for cancer incidence and mortality from any cause for at least 20 years. Between enrollment and 2015, there were over 6100 cancer cases in the CPS-3 cohort. Eligibility for HEALED will be determined based on existing data from CPS-3 2015 and 2018 surveys. Inclusion criteria require: 1) response to 2018 CPS-3 English survey, 2) a self-reported pre- or postmenopausal breast, colon, endometrium, kidney, or bladder cancer, 3) an e-mail address on record, and 4) less than 150 minutes MVPA/week and/or no strength training reported on 2018 survey. Participants will be excluded if they: 1) are not community-dwelling, 2) are not able to walk, or 3) are currently undergoing treatment for a cancer recurrence. Participants will be invited via email. Based on the CPS-3 physical activity sub-study, in which participants were required to wear an accelerometer for two seven-day periods and complete four seven-day diaries over a one-year period, a 20% response rate is expected. Interested participants will complete a short online screener questionnaire and provide online consent if eligible. The screening questionnaire will include items regarding stage at diagnosis and recurrence, and a physical activity readiness questionnaire (PAR-Q). Participants responding 'yes' to one or more of any of the following items will be excluded from the HEALED intervention to rule-out survivors for whom unsupervised physical activity may be unsafe: a) Has your doctor ever said that you have a heart condition and that you should only perform physical activity recommended by a doctor?, b) Do you lose your balance because of dizziness or do you ever lose consciousness?, c) Do you have a bone or joint problem that could be made worse by a change in your physical activity?, or d) Do you know of any other reason why you should not engage in physical activity? Once an eligible participant provides consent, they will be sent an accelerometer (including instructions for wear and return shipping materials) along with a 4-page survey.