Satisfaction of a Virtually Delivered Supervised Exercise Program Specific to Breast Cancer Survivors on Endocrine Therapy

Abstract

Background Only 11% of breast cancer survivors currently meet the exercise oncology guidelines, and the restrictions to gyms and time outside of home related to the COVID-19 pandemic may have aggravated this situation. To address this, we are testing the efficacy of a twice-weekly, 8-week, supervised, synchronous exercise program delivered virtually for participants diagnosed with breast cancer, called the BE-FIT program. Objective The aim of this paper is to examine the preliminary participant's satisfaction in participating in the BE-FIT program. Methods Participants are asked to complete a “Participant Satisfaction Questionnaire” using a range of 1-5 for each question (1 represents “very difficult,” 2 “difficult,” 3 “neutral,” 4 “easy,” and 5 “very easy”). The questions were related to the following: level of difficulty to access classes; level of clarity of information received during classes; level of capacity to continue practicing exercises independently after finishing the exercise program; and level of how likely one would recommend the program to a friend. Results For the ongoing efficacy trial, we collected responses from 40 participants. The participants reported that it was “very easy” and “easy” to access and participate in the virtual exercise session (63% and 37%, respectively). When asked if the information received from the exercise training was clear and easy to understand during virtual exercise sessions, 93% reported “very easy,” and the remainder reported “easy.” Regarding continuing the exercise independently with the content learned in the program, 87% of the participants reported “very easy” or “easy” (31% and 56%, respectively), and 13% reported “neutral.” Lastly, 80% of participants reported “very easy” to recommend the BE-FIT program to a friend, 18% reported “easy,” and 2% reported “neutral.” Conclusions A virtually delivered supervised program seems to be an excellent alternative to in-person supervised exercise programs to provide easy access and clear information during the classes with potential influence on the future practice of exercises. Conflicts of Interest None declared. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04824339; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04824339