Identifying Effective Physical Activity Interventions for AYA Cancer Survivors

Physical activity interventions can have a positive effect on behavioral and health-related outcomes in the adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivor population, although current participation remains relatively low, according to the results of a study published in the Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology.

With the understanding that physical activity is considered safe and often beneficial for people living with a cancer diagnosis, a group of researchers investigated physical activity intervention characteristics and outcomes in AYA cancer survivors. Their systematic review included 23 studies that met inclusion criteria: 15 randomized control trials and 8 pre-/posttest studies.

The most common characteristics of the studies assessed included:

• Supervision of physical activity
• Use of a wearable device as a component of the intervention
• Tailored or individualized physical activity prescriptions
• Goal setting

Half of the reviewed studies involved supervised physical activity. Although the frequency and length varied, all the sessions were supervised by an accredited professional. These studies reported at least 1 statistically significant behavioral or health outcome. The outcomes included increased peak VO₂, reduced fatigue levels, higher quality of life (QOL) scores, and increased vigorous and mild physical activity minutes.

Ten of the 23 studies entailed the use of a wearable device, such as an accelerometer or Fitbit, as part of the physical activity intervention. This review confirmed earlier study results that wearing the devices increased physical activity and improve health-related outcomes. Statistically significant outcomes were documented in 8 of the studies that incorporated a wearable device in the intervention.

The most utilized characteristic across the studies was tailored physical activity prescription, with significant improvements in behavioral and health-related outcomes reported by 14 of 15 studies on this intervention.

None of the studies relied solely on goal setting as an intervention, but 9 of 13 studies with goal setting as part of the intervention reported statistically significant results, the researchers wrote.

“This review of 23 [physical activity] intervention studies in [AYA cancer survivors] highlights a wide range of potentially effective approaches for improving behavioral and health-related outcomes in this population,” the researchers wrote.

These findings suggest personalized physical activity prescriptions, use of wearable devices, and goal setting are effective interventions for AYA cancer survivors. However, challenges still remain in identifying specific characteristics of physical activity interventions tailored to AYA cancer survivors, the researchers concluded.

Reference

Hoover RL, Xu J, Conklin JL, et al. Physical activity intervention characteristics and effects on behavioral and health-related outcomes among adolescents and young adults living with and beyond cancer: a systematic review. J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol. Published online September 8, 2023. doi:10.1089/jayao.2023.0047