Staying in Motion: Using Technology to Support Physical Activity Maintenance in Exercise Oncology

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dc.contributor.advisorCulos-Reed, Nicole
dc.contributor.authorEster, Manuel
dc.contributor.committeememberMcDonough, Meghan H.
dc.contributor.committeememberMcNeely, Margaret L.
dc.contributor.committeememberBrenner, Darren
dc.contributor.committeememberPhillips, Siobhan M.
dc.date2023-11
dc.date.accessioned2023-05-19T15:37:56Z
dc.date.available2023-05-19T15:37:56Z
dc.date.issued2023-05-10
dc.description.abstractGiven the broad range of physical and psychosocial health benefits of physical activity (PA) for individuals living with cancer, experts recommend regular PA as well as structured exercise (aerobic, strength, flexibility, and balance) to improve overall well-being among this population. However, most individuals living with and beyond cancer remain insufficiently active, struggling to maintain consistent PA habits post-diagnosis. Exercise oncology behavior change interventions have been shown to increase PA post-intervention, yet challenges remain to ensure that participants stay physically active long-term (i.e. PA maintenance: continued PA up to and beyond 6 months after initial PA behavior change), and thereby continue to reap the benefits of PA. Individuals living with and beyond cancer face significant challenges to PA maintenance, including cost, lack of time, lack of equipment or access to facilities, lack of motivation, and lack of support. Those living in rural and remote locations may experience a greater impact of these PA maintenance barriers, and usually lack access to in-person exercise oncology programs, which are primarily delivered in urban settings. Some of these barriers may be addressed via PA behavior change interventions delivered using electronic health technology (eHealth). Despite increased research, few studies have explored the potential of eHealth to support PA maintenance, especially among rural cancer populations who may need greater PA support given their lower PA levels and greater PA barriers. The present PhD project addressed this knowledge gap, developing novel insights to better understand the potential of eHealth to support PA maintenance among individuals living with and beyond cancer. First, the effectiveness of eHealth to support PA behaviors in exercise oncology was systematically reviewed. Next, a survey of exercise oncology program participants explored technology use, literacy, and perceptions on the value of technology to support PA habits. The review and survey were then followed by a participant-oriented tailoring process to customize an existing self-monitoring app for use in a PA maintenance intervention. Finally, the effectiveness of the self-monitoring app to support PA maintenance was tested in a randomized controlled trial, which was evaluated using quantitative (i.e. self-report and objective PA levels) and qualitative (i.e. semi-structured 1-1 interviews) methods. The project contributed new knowledge to better understand the potential value of eHealth to support PA maintenance among individuals living with cancer, especially those in rural and remote locations, and highlighted important next steps to optimize and comprehensively evaluate its positive impact on PA behavior change.
dc.identifier.citationEster, M. (2023). Staying in motion: using technology to support physical activity maintenance in exercise oncology (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1880/116553
dc.identifier.urihttps://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/dspace/41396
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisher.facultyGraduate Studies
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgary
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. The authors retain copyright for all manuscript content. The manuscripts in Chapters Two, Four, and Six are shared under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License. The manuscript in Chapters Three is shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial (CC-BY-NC) 4.0 License. The manuscript in Chapter Five is shared under the “green open access” policy for Contemporary Clinical Trials, which allows sharing in institutional repositories as part of a graduate student theses.
dc.subjectExercise
dc.subjectOncology
dc.subjectPhysical Activity
dc.subjectBehavior Change
dc.subjectMaintenance
dc.subjectTechnology
dc.subjectExercise Oncology
dc.subjecteHealth
dc.subjectmHealth
dc.subjectmobile apps
dc.subjectExercise Psychology
dc.subject.classificationPsychology--Behavioral
dc.subject.classificationOncology
dc.titleStaying in Motion: Using Technology to Support Physical Activity Maintenance in Exercise Oncology
dc.typedoctoral thesis
thesis.degree.disciplineKinesiology
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgary
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)
ucalgary.thesis.accesssetbystudentI do not require a thesis withhold – my thesis will have open access and can be viewed and downloaded publicly as soon as possible.
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