Abstract PO-162: Association between the frequency of using wearable activity trackers and minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity among cancer survivors from HINTS data

Abstract

Abstract Purpose: Cancer survivors tend to exercise less after diagnosis and treatment. Given the health benefits of exercise, there is a need for innovative and engaging ways to aid in exercise participation among survivors. Wearable activity trackers (WATs) can provide avenues for self-monitoring and may enhance exercise motivation. However, less is known about the relationship between how often survivors use WATs and their amount of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Our purpose is to investigate this relationship and determine if it differs based on a survivor's time since diagnosis or demographic characteristics. Methods: Data was obtained from the National Cancer Institute's Health Information National Trend Survey (HINTS) 5 Cycles 3-4 (January 2019-April 2020) (n=1,369). Information on survivor's frequency of WAT use (daily, non-daily, no use), cancer type, time since diagnosis, age, gender, household income, body mass index, education, and race/ethnicity were used. To model the relationship between these variables and the number of self-reported weekly minutes of MVPA, we utilized a zero-inflated negative binomial Poisson (ZINBP) regression model with interactions for WAT use and race/ethnicity, and WAT use and time since diagnosis. Results: Most of the sample were female (n=735, 53.7%) and non-Hispanic White (n=961, 70.2%). Also, 44% (n=602) were college graduates or higher and 34.3% (n=664) were between the ages of 65-74 years. Skin was the most frequently reported cancer type (n=334, 24.4%) and 48.5% (n=664) reported that it had been 11+ years since their diagnosis. Results from the ZINBP model found that survivors who reported using WATs daily had an expected 3.6 times higher number of weekly MVPA minutes compared to non-daily users (OR: 3.6, 2.81-4.60, p=<.0001). Daily WAT users also had a predicted mean weekly MVPA of 100 minutes (80.2-124.8) compared to non-daily users (27.8 minutes, 21.8-35.5) and non-WAT users (10.1 minutes, 8.6-12). Additionally, survivors who reported 6-10 years since diagnosis had an expected 0.20 times lower number of MVPA minutes compared to those who reported 11+ years (OR 0.80, 0.79-0.94, p=0.006). The effects of WAT use on reported weekly minutes of MVPA did not differ across race/ethnicity. However, Hispanics had a lower frequency of daily use compared to their non-Hispanic White counterparts (7.1% vs.12%) and a higher frequency of reporting no use (87.9% vs. 79.6%) (p=0.04). Reporting daily WAT use was also lower among those with less educational attainment (p<.0001) and lower household income (p<.0001). Conclusions: Findings from this study indicate that reporting daily WAT use was predictive of higher MVPA and less sedentary behavior. Survivors aiming to increase exercise may benefit from integrating WATs into their daily routine. However, there is a need to better understand how to engage survivors who come from traditionally underserved racial/ethnic backgrounds including Hispanics, and those with lower income or less educational attainment in using WATs for exercise. Citation Format: Steven A. De La Torre, Trevor Pickering, Donna Spruijt-Metz, Albert J. Farias. Association between the frequency of using wearable activity trackers and minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity among cancer survivors from HINTS data [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Conference: 14th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2021 Oct 6-8. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-162.