School of Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada.
Radiant Health, Victoria, BC, Canada.
Support Care Cancer. 2023 May 6;31(6):319. doi: 10.1007/s00520-023-07725-3.
COVID-19 pandemic restrictions ceased the opportunity for face-to-face group exercise classes with at risk populations, such as cancer patients, forcing an adaptation to online exercise programming. The purpose of this study was to compare the attendance rates and correlates of face-to-face exercise programming pre-COVID-19 to online programming delivered during the first year of pandemic restrictions.
The sample was comprised from 1189 patient records between 2018 and 2021. Data analysis was based around the three primary research questions: (i) whether the volume of attendance in online exercise programming differed from the previous face-to-face programming; (ii) whether there were any differences in attendee demographics between online and face-to-face classes; and (iii) whether there were specific correlates of online attendance that can inform future exercise programming.
Class attendance increased significantly when online exercise classes were introduced during the first year of the pandemic when compared to face-to-face attendance the prior years (p < .01). Multiple demographic findings were also observed including age, gender, and geographic differences.
While COVID-19 has effected the ability to deliver face-to-face exercise programs for cancer patients, online programming has proved a promising delivery model with greater geographical reach. The approach, however, has gender and age differences in program attendance so targeted programming to reach specific cancer patient demographics may need attention. These results add to the continuing research in the area of online exercise and online programming strategies offering an effective option for cancer patients to achieve targeted exercise prescription.
COVID-19 大流行限制了面向高危人群（如癌症患者）的面对面团体运动课程的机会，迫使人们适应在线运动编程。本研究的目的是比较 COVID-19 之前的面对面运动编程和大流行限制第一年提供的在线编程的出勤率和相关因素。
该样本由 2018 年至 2021 年的 1189 名患者记录组成。数据分析围绕三个主要研究问题进行：（i）在线运动编程的出勤量是否与之前的面对面编程有所不同；（ii）在线和面对面课程的参与者人口统计学是否存在差异；以及（iii）是否存在特定的在线出勤相关因素，可以为未来的运动编程提供信息。
与前几年的面对面出勤相比，大流行第一年引入在线运动课程时，课程出勤率显著增加（p<0.01）。还观察到了多个人口统计学发现，包括年龄、性别和地理差异。
虽然 COVID-19 已经影响了为癌症患者提供面对面运动项目的能力，但在线编程已被证明是一种有前途的交付模式，具有更大的地理覆盖范围。然而，该方法在项目出勤率方面存在性别和年龄差异，因此需要关注针对特定癌症患者群体的针对性编程。这些结果增加了在线运动和在线编程策略领域的持续研究，为癌症患者实现针对性运动处方提供了有效的选择。
