Independent Exercise During A Supervised Exercise Intervention For Cancer Survivors

Abstract

Purpose: Exercising independently (i.e., unsupervised outside of, or in addition to supervised exercise sessions) during a physical activity (PA) intervention can help participants achieve recommended levels of PA and encourage PA maintenance. This study described the amount, type, and context of independent exercise during a PA intervention for cancer survivors. Methods: The intervention consisted of videoconference-delivered group-based exercise 1x/week for 8-weeks, and three PA behavior change discussion sessions. Recordings of exercise sessions were provided to participants via a private YouTube channel. Each week, participants reported frequency and duration of independent aerobic and resistance exercise using a modified version of the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise questionnaire. In addition, type of exercise, where and with whom they exercised was reported. Means, standard deviations, and frequencies were calculated. Results: Participants (N = 39) were M = 59.9 ± 10.2 years old, 97.4% female and diagnosed with ovarian (56.4%), breast (30.8%), colorectal (7.7%), or other (5.1%) cancer. The majority of participants reported doing independent aerobic (83.5%) and resistance (70.5%) exercise outside of supervised sessions [M = 196.7 ± 182.9 mins/week of aerobic (range = 168-227), and M = 48.8 ± 63.4 mins/week of resistance (range = 34-60)]. Location included home (81.2%), neighborhood (47.5%), and outdoor recreation site (47.2%). Types of exercise were brisk walking (77.0%), weightlifting (55.0%), and body weight exercise (31.6%). Participants reported exercising with their spouse/partner (44.4%), friends (26.6%), and family members (17.4%). Most (74.3%) found the YouTube channel to be very or extremely helpful, and reported exercising with the videos a median of 2x/week (range = 0-7). Conclusion: Cancer survivors reported doing enough aerobic and resistance exercise outside of supervised sessions to achieve or exceed PA recommendations during the intervention. Most exercise was done at home or in the neighborhood, with a spouse, friend, or family member, and often utilizing the recorded intervention exercise sessions. Future studies will examine determinants of independent exercise during an intervention, and whether exercise habits continue after the intervention ends.