Hong Yan Alicia, Goldberg Daniel, Ory Marcia G, Towne Samuel D, Forjuoh Samuel N, Kellstedt Debra, Wang Suojin
School of Public Health, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States.
Department of Geography, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States.
JMIR Cancer. 2015 Jun 26;1(1):e7. doi: 10.2196/cancer.4389.
The benefits of physical activity for cancer survivors are well documented. However, few older cancer survivors are engaged in regular physical activity. Mobile technologies may be an effective method to deliver physical activity promotion programs for older cancer survivors. iCanFit, a mobile-enabled Web-based app, was developed based on formative research and usability testing. This app includes interactive features of physical activity, goal setting and tracking, and receiving personalized visual feedback.
The aim of this study is to pilot test the initial efficacy of iCanFit.
Older cancer survivors (N=30) were recruited online through our collaborative partnership with a cancer survivor's organization. After the participants completed an online baseline survey, they were asked to use the iCanFit website. Instructional videos on how to use the web app were available on the website. Participants were asked to complete a follow-up survey 2-3 months later. Participants' physical activity, quality of life, and their experience with iCanFit were measured.
A total of 30 participants completed the baseline survey, and 26 of them (87%, 26/30) also completed a follow-up survey 2-3 months later. The median age of participants was 69 years (range 60-78). Participants' quality of life and engagement in regular physical activity improved significantly after the use of iCanFit. Participants indicated a general affinity towards the key function "Goals" in iCanFit, which motivated continued activity. They also provided suggestions to further improve the app (eg, adding a reminder functionality, easier or alternative ways of entering activities).
The interactive Web-based app iCanFit has demonstrated initial efficacy. Even though our study was limited by a small sample size, convenience sampling, and a short follow-up period, results suggest that using mobile tools to promote physical activity and healthy living among older cancer survivors holds promise. Next steps include refining iCanFit based on users' feedback and developing versatile functionality to allow easier physical activity goal setting and tracking. We also call for more studies on developing and evaluating mobile and web apps for older cancer survivors.
体育活动对癌症幸存者的益处已有充分记录。然而，很少有老年癌症幸存者进行定期体育活动。移动技术可能是为老年癌症幸存者提供体育活动促进项目的有效方法。iCanFit是一款基于网络的移动应用程序，它是在形成性研究和可用性测试的基础上开发的。该应用程序包括体育活动的互动功能、目标设定与跟踪以及接收个性化视觉反馈。
本研究的目的是对iCanFit的初步疗效进行试点测试。
通过我们与一个癌症幸存者组织的合作关系，在网上招募老年癌症幸存者（N = 30）。参与者完成在线基线调查后，被要求使用iCanFit网站。网站上有关于如何使用网络应用程序的教学视频。要求参与者在2至3个月后完成随访调查。测量参与者的体育活动、生活质量以及他们使用iCanFit的体验。
共有30名参与者完成了基线调查，其中26名（87%，26/30）在2至3个月后也完成了随访调查。参与者的中位年龄为69岁（范围60 - 78岁）。使用iCanFit后，参与者的生活质量和参与定期体育活动的情况有显著改善。参与者对iCanFit中的关键功能“目标”普遍表示喜爱，这激励了持续的活动。他们还提出了进一步改进该应用程序的建议（例如，添加提醒功能、更简便或替代的活动录入方式）。
基于网络的互动应用程序iCanFit已显示出初步疗效。尽管我们的研究受到样本量小、便利抽样和随访期短的限制，但结果表明，使用移动工具促进老年癌症幸存者的体育活动和健康生活具有前景。下一步包括根据用户反馈完善iCanFit，并开发通用功能以便更轻松地设定和跟踪体育活动目标。我们还呼吁开展更多关于为老年癌症幸存者开发和评估移动及网络应用程序的研究。
