Understanding In-Person and Online Exercise Oncology Program Delivery: Participant Perspectives
Date
2021-06-30
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Abstract
Background: Alberta Cancer Exercise (ACE) is an exercise oncology program delivered in community-based settings until the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when ACE was forced to transition to an online platform for remote delivery. Purpose: To evaluate the perspectives of cancer survivors who have transitioned from an in-person to an online exercise oncology program. Specifically, survivors' exercise facilitators and barriers in both delivery modes, delivery mode preference, and experience with the program elements targeting behaviour change were gathered. Methods: A retrospective cohort design using explanatory sequential mixed-methods was used to assess participants' experiences with participation in both settings. Participants who have completed both in-person and online ACE classes were asked to complete a survey, with the option to complete a subsequent interview. Results: A total of 57 (response rate 46%) completed the survey and 19 interviews were conducted. Most participants indicated preferring in-person programs (58%), followed by online (32%), and no preference (10%). There were significantly fewer barriers (p<0.01), but also fewer facilitators/benefits (p<0.01), to exercising online. Qualitative data analysis supported survey findings, with participants frequently noting the convenience of attending online, but a lack of equivalent social connection gained. Content analysis (survey comments) and thematic analysis (interview analysis) demonstrated that the online setting was less conducive to providing behaviour change support, largely attributed to limitations inherent to the online platform. Conclusion: ACE participants experienced facilitators and barriers to both the online and in-person delivery modes. The transition to online was supported by participants' in-person experiences, and for future work that includes solely online (i.e., for rural and remote cancer survivor exercise program delivery), focusing on building social support and a sense of community will be critical to optimizing program benefits. Addressing the need for promoting and maintaining exercise in people with cancer using an online platform when standard exercise formats are restricted due to COVID-19 is timely and necessary. Beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, results of this research will remain relevant as we aim to increase the reach of online exercise oncology programming to more underserved populations of individuals living with cancer (i.e., rural/remote, immunocompromised, young adult populations).
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Keywords
exercise oncology, telehealth, synchronous, supervised, group-based
Citation
Duchek, D. (2021). Understanding In-Person and Online Exercise Oncology Program Delivery: Participant Perspectives (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.