Many breast and endometrial cancer survivors do not get enough physical activity. Technology-based interventions can be inexpensive and easy to scale up, however they are not effective for all women. The purpose of this study is test an adaptive physical activity intervention approach that reserves the most resources and support for women who do not fare well with a lower-cost, minimal intervention. The results from this trial will inform the development of scalable physical activity interventions for breast and endometrial cancer survivors.
There are 3,000,000 breast and 760,000 endometrial cancer survivors in the US and these populations will grow 30% by 2026. Increased moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) is consistently associated with enhanced quality of life, reduced chronic disease risk, and improved cancer prognosis in these survivors yet 70-90% fail to engage in the 150 minutes/week of MVPA recommended by the American Cancer Society. Unfortunately, since physical activity support is not a part of standard survivorship care, few survivors have access to efficacious MVPA interventions. A key barrier to translation of MVPA promotion into care is the design of existing programs, which are resource-intensive, costly, and deliver multiple components (i.e., coaching calls, supervised exercise) simultaneously to all participants. This "one-size-fits-all" approach does not account for individual needs, nor can it realistically be implemented into care. Thus there is a critical need for effective, scalable interventions that efficiently allocate resources to meet each woman's needs. An adaptive approach that tries minimal, low resource treatments (i.e., technology tools) for everyone first, and reserves the use of higher-resource components (e.g., coaching) for survivors who fail to increase MVPA, offers a promising alternative to traditional approaches. This engages women who lack the time or transportation to participate in more intensive interventions, yet avoids providing high-resource components to those who would respond well to a lower-dose intervention. Success with integrating Fitbit MVPA data into the electronic health record (EHR) with the capability to provide weekly progress feedback to participants via the EHR's patient portal represents a relatively low resource (vs. coaching or supervised exercise) and potentially efficacious minimal intervention that could be augmented as needed. Placement of the intervention within the EHR is a major advance because it communicates that MVPA is central to survivors' health and is a priority of the cancer care team. Clinicians can be engaged to ensure the intervention is viewed as integral to survivorship care with minimal burden by referring patients to an EHR-based intervention, endorsing intervention messages delivered via the EHR and reviewing a patient's progress at their clinic visits using simple EHR alerts. While the Fitbit plus EHR integration (Fitbit+EHR) minimal intervention will be sufficient for some survivors to increase their MVPA, others will need more support. Little data exists to determine what strategies would be most effective for augmenting a minimal intervention. Further, it is unknown how long the minimal intervention should be continued before augmentations are used. Some survivors may need more support early on, while others may initially succeed but later fail as the weekly MVPA goal increases. Still others may falter initially and recover. This project uses an innovative adaptive experimental approach, to determine the optimal augmentation tactics to the minimal (Fitbit+EHR) MVPA intervention in inactive breast and endometrial cancer survivors (n=320). All women will receive the Fitbit+EHR intervention. Those who do not respond (meet ≤80% of MVPA goal over previous 4 weeks) will be randomized to one of two more intensive augmentation tactics using technology, alone, or in combination with a more traditional component: (1) online gym with access to exercise videos or (2) coaching calls. Participants in the minimal intervention will be evaluated for non-response every 4 weeks so augmentation is delivered when they lapse. Responders will continue with the minimal intervention. The primary outcome is accelerometer-measured weekly minutes of MVPA at 6 months, 12 months, and 30 months. The investigator will also examine the effects of the intervention sequences on symptom burden and functional performance, important indicators of morbidity in these populations. This is the first systematic effort to develop an adaptive MVPA intervention in any cancer population. Knowledge gained from this study will inform the development of effective, scalable clinic-based interventions to improve quality of life and reduce disease burden among breast and endometrial cancer survivors. \[Protocol Amendment approved on 5/24/2023 added a 30 month time point to data collection.\]
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
323
Every subject will start with a base intervention - Fitbit activity tracker with EHR integration including messages delivered via the EHR's patient portal
Non-responders to base intervention will be randomized to coaching calls.
Non-responders to base intervention will be randomized to online gym.
Department of Preventative Medicine, Northwestern University
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Department of Kinesiology, University of Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin, United States
Change in the 'Weekly minutes of moderate- to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA)' as measured by actigraph
Change in the 'Weekly minutes of moderate- to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA)' as measured by actigraph
Time frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 30 months
Change in the 'Weekly minutes of MVPA' as measured by Fitbit
Change in the 'Weekly minutes of moderate- to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA)' as measured by Fitbit
Time frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 30 months
Change in the 'Weekly minutes of MVPA' as reported in Self-report
Change in the 'Weekly minutes of moderate- to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA)' as reported in Self-report
Time frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 30 months
Godin Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ) score
Godin Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ) score measures the number of times on average a person does strenuous/moderate/mild exercise for more than 15 minutes during their leisure time. Weekly leisure activity score = (9 × Strenuous) + (5 × Moderate) + (3 × Light) GLTEQ Score Interpretation 24 units or more - Active 14 - 23 units - Moderately Active Less than 14 units - Insufficiently Active/Sedentary
Time frame: 12 months and 30 months
Change in the 'Sitting time per week'
Although not a measure of physical activity, the Sitting Time Questionnaire will be administered at each of the three main data collection time points to provide context for the participant's inactive time. Less sitting time per week correlates to more physical activity
Time frame: Baseline, 6 month, 12 month, 30 months
Short Physical Performance Battery (SPB) score
Participants will complete the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPB), a well-validated physical function performance measure. This battery assesses lower extremity function in adults. The SPB score is based on timed measures of gait speed, ability to rise from a chair, and standing balance. Gait speed will be measured using the better of two recorded times over a 4-meter course. Chair stand time will be measured as the time needed to rise five times from a seated position in a chair, with arms folded across the chest. For the balance test, participants will be asked to maintain their feet side-by-side, semi-tandem, and tandem positions for 10 seconds each. Each individual performance measure will be scored according to established cutpoints and aggregated for a total SPB score. Total SPB score range: 0 (worst performance) to 12 (best performance).
Time frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 30 months
Change in Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) short form score for physical function
The PROMIS short forms are self-report instruments used to measure aspects of quality of life that are known to be common long-lasting symptoms after cancer treatment. At each time point, participants will complete PROMIS short form measures for physical function.The functional performance tests are in-person tests that assess physical abilities (strength, mobility) in ways that are relevant to daily living. PROMIS measures are measured on T-score metrics. The short form consists of 20 questions which can be answered on a scale of 1-5 where 1-Unable to do, 2-with much difficulty, 3-with some difficulty,4-with a little difficulty, 5- without any difficulty. The cumulative score ranges from 20 to 100, where higher scores correlates to more physically active person.
Time frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 30 months
Change in PROMIS short form score for fatigue
The PROMIS short forms are self-report instruments used to measure aspects of quality of life that are known to be common long-lasting symptoms after cancer treatment. The functional performance tests are in-person tests that assess physical abilities in ways that are relevant to daily living. Fatigue short form has 8 items. Each item on the measure is rated on a 5-point scale( 1-Not at all, 2-A little bit, 3-Somewhat, 4-Quite a bit, 5-Very much) with a range in score from 8 to 40 with higher scores indicating more fatigue
Time frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 30 months
Change in PROMIS short form score on Sleep Related Impairment
The PROMIS short forms are self-report instruments used to measure aspects of quality of life that are known to be common long-lasting symptoms after cancer treatment. The functional performance tests are in-person tests that assess physical abilities in ways that are relevant to daily living. Sleep related impairment short form has 8 items. Each item on the measure is rated on a 5-point scale (1=never; 2=rarely; 3=sometimes; 4=often; and 5=always) with a range in score from 8 to 40 with higher scores indicating greater sleep disturbance.
Time frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 30 months
Change in PROMIS short form score on Sleep Disturbance
The PROMIS short forms are self-report instruments used to measure aspects of quality of life that are known to be common long-lasting symptoms after cancer treatment. The functional performance tests are in-person tests that assess physical abilities in ways that are relevant to daily living. PROMIS sleep disturbance short form has 8 items. Each item on the measure is rated on a 5-point scale (1=never; 2=rarely; 3=sometimes; 4=often; and 5=always) with a range in score from 8 to 40 with higher scores indicating greater severity of sleep disturbance.
Time frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 30 months
Change in PROMIS short form score on Applied Cognition-Abilities
The PROMIS short forms are self-report instruments used to measure aspects of quality of life that are known to be common long-lasting symptoms after cancer treatment. The functional performance tests are in-person tests that assess physical abilities in ways that are relevant to daily living. Applied Cognition-Abilities short form has 8 items. Each item on the measure is rated on a 5-point scale (1-Very much; 2-Quite a bit; 3-Somewhat; 4-A little bit, 5-Not at all) with a range in score from 8 to 40. Higher score correlates to higher cognitive ability
Time frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 30 months
Change in PROMIS short form score for Emotional Distress - Anxiety
The PROMIS short forms are self-report instruments used to measure aspects of quality of life that are known to be common long-lasting symptoms after cancer treatment. The functional performance tests are in-person tests that assess physical abilities in ways that are relevant to daily living. Emotional Distress- Anxiety has 7 items. Each item on the measure is rated on a 5-point scale (1-never; 2-rarely; 3-sometimes. 4-often; 5-always) with a range in score from 7 to 35 with higher scores indicating greater severity of anxiety.
Time frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 30 months
Change in PROMIS short form score for Depression
The PROMIS short forms are self-report instruments used to measure aspects of quality of life that are known to be common long-lasting symptoms after cancer treatment. The functional performance tests are in-person tests that assess physical abilities in ways that are relevant to daily living. PROMIS short form for Depression has 8 items. Each item on the measure is rated on a 5-point scale (1-never, 2-rarely, 3-sometimes; 4-often, 5-always) with a range in score from 8 to 40 with higher scores indicating greater severity of depression.
Time frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 30 months
Change in PROMIS short form score for Emotional Support
PROMIS Emotional Support scale is an 8-item scale. Individual items are scored from 1-5. The total range of possible overall raw scores is 8-40. These are then translated to T-scores using a table provided by PROMIS. The possible range of T-scores is 24.7-63.5. Emotional support may predict the adherence to the intervention.
Time frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 30 months
Change in FACT-B Quality of Life Survey
The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Breast (FACT-B) Quality of Life Survey is a 37-item survey scored on a 5-point likert scale where 0 is 'not at all' to 4 is 'very much'. The total possible range of scores is 0-148 where lower scores indicate improved quality of life.
Time frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 30 months
Change in FACT-En Quality of Life Survey
The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Endometrial (FACT-En) Quality of Life Survey is a 43-item survey scored on a 5-point likert scale where 0 is 'not at all' to 4 is 'very much'. The total possible range of scores is 0-172 where lower scores indicate improved quality of life.
Time frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 30 months
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