Chronotropic Incompetence among People with HIV Improves with Exercise Training in the Exercise for Healthy Aging Study.

BACKGROUND: People with HIV (PWH) have lower exercise capacity compared to peers without HIV, which may be explained by chronotropic incompetence (CI), the inability to increase heart rate during exercise. METHODS: The Exercise for Healthy Aging Study included adults ages 50-75 with and without HIV. Participants completed 12 weeks of moderate intensity exercise, before randomization to moderate or high intensity for 12 additional weeks. We compared adjusted heart rate reserve (AHRR; CI <80%) on cardiopulmonary exercise testing by HIV serostatus and change from baseline to 12 and 24 weeks using mixed effects models. RESULTS: Among 32 PWH and 37 controls (median age 56, 7% female, mean BMI 28 kg/m2), 28% of PWH compared to 11% of controls had CI at baseline (p = 0.067). AHRR was lower among PWH (91 vs 101%; difference 10%, 95% CI 1.9-18.9; p = 0.02). At week 12, AHRR normalized among PWH (+8%, 95% CI 4-11; p < 0.001) and was sustained at week 24 (+5, 95%CI 1-9; p = 0.008) compared to no change among controls (95%CI -4 to 4; p = 0.95; pinteraction = 0.004). After 24 weeks of exercise, only 15% PWH and 10% of controls had CI (p = 0.70). CONCLUSIONS: Chronotropic incompetence contributes to reduced exercise capacity among PWH and improves with exercise training.

Telenovela (Spanish Soap Opera) Interventions on Latino Health: A Scoping Review.

Introduction: The use of telenovelas shows promise as a mode of education that could enhance Latino people's ability to prevent or manage different health conditions. This scoping review examined the available evidence about telenovela interventions on Latino health. Methods: A scoping review was conducted by searching five peer-reviewed databases for articles published on any date in English or Spanish. The methods of this review were guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews recommendations. Results: A total of 431 articles were identified, and 22 articles published between 1999 and 2022 were included in the final scoping review. Nineteen telenovela interventions were described in the literature. Most studies included telenovela interventions without other elements (n = 15; 68%), and 91% were conducted in the U.S. (n = 20). Studies were qualitative (n = 8; 36%), quantitative (n = 8; 36%), and mixed methods (n = 6; 27%), and most telenovela interventions were developed and/or tested in Spanish (n = 10; 53%). The most common topics for the telenovela interventions were substance use/risky sexual health behaviors, cardiovascular disease, and mental health. Conclusions: This scoping review may serve to continue empirical and theoretical work on telenovela-style entertainment interventions on Latino health and future implementation in real-life settings.

Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium (MoTrPAC): Human Studies Design and Protocol.

Physical activity, including structured exercise, is associated with favorable health-related chronic disease outcomes. While there is evidence of various molecular pathways that affect these responses, a comprehensive molecular map of these molecular responses to exercise has not been developed. The Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium (MoTrPAC) is a multi-center study designed to isolate the effects of structured exercise training on the molecular mechanisms underlying the health benefits of exercise and physical activity. MoTrPAC contains both a pre-clinical and human component. The details of the human studies component of MoTrPAC that include the design and methods are presented here. The human studies contain both an adult and pediatric component. In the adult component, sedentary participants are randomized to 12 weeks of Control, Endurance Exercise Training, or Resistance Exercise Training with outcomes measures completed before and following the 12 weeks. The adult component also includes recruitment of highly active endurance trained or resistance trained participants who only complete measures once. A similar design is used for the pediatric component; however, only endurance exercise is examined. Phenotyping measures include weight, body composition, vital signs, cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, physical activity and diet, and other questionnaires. Participants also complete an acute rest period (adults only) or exercise session (adults, pediatrics) with collection of biospecimens (blood only for pediatrics) to allow for examination of the molecular responses. The design and methods of MoTrPAC may inform other studies. Moreover, MoTrPAC will provide a repository of data that can be used broadly across the scientific community.

A Multiomics Assessment of Preoperative Exercise in Pancreatic Cancer Survivors Receiving Neoadjuvant Therapy: A Case Series.

To molecularly characterize the impact of exercise on mitigating neoadjuvant treatment (NAT)-induced physical decline in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients, a multi-omics approach was employed for the analysis of plasma samples before and after a personalized exercise intervention. Consisting of personalized aerobic and resistance exercises, this intervention was associated with significant molecular changes that correlated with improvements in lean mass, appendicular skeletal muscle index (ASMI), and performance in the 400-m walk test (MWT) and sit-to-stand test. These alterations indicated exercise-induced modulation of inflammation and mitochondrial function markers. This case study provides proof-of-principal application for multiomics-based assessments of supervised exercise, thereby supporting this intervention as a feasible and beneficial intervention for PDAC patients to potentially enhance treatment response and patient quality of life. The molecular changes observed here underscore the importance of physical activity in cancer treatment protocols, advocating for the development of accessible multiomics-guided exercise programs for cancer patients.

Qualitative Description of Exercise Perceptions and Experiences Among People With Human Immunodeficiency Virus in the High-Intensity Exercise to Attenuate Limitations and Train Habits Study.

BACKGROUND: The benefits of physical activity (PA), specifically exercise, among older adults in general are well known. Yet globally, there is concern regarding limited engagement in PA, increased obesity, and frailty among older people with human immunodeficiency virus related to low levels of PA. METHODS: We conducted in-depth interviews among 30 older, sedentary people with human immunodeficiency virus participating in the ongoing High-Intensity Exercise to Attenuate Limitations and Train Habits (HEALTH study, NCT04550676) between February 2021 and August 2022. A semistructured interview guide, informed by two minds theory, which frames behavior change as an intention-behavior gap between 2 neurocognitive systems, was used to elicit data from participants. Interviews explored general exercise perceptions, self-efficacy for exercise, mobile health intervention tailoring, outcome expectations, and PA goals. Thirty interviews from 33 participants were recorded and transcribed verbatim, and deductive and inductive thematic analysis were used using Dedoose. RESULTS: Physical activity was defined as maintaining daily living activities and addressing health goals. Previous experiences with PA varied among participants and were influenced by chronic illnesses, including human immunodeficiency virus; motivation; work commitments; interest; and social support. Reported barriers to PA included antiretroviral adverse effects, comorbidities, aging, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Changes in health status, body changes, and relationships were identified as benefits of PA. Conversations with healthcare providers supporting exercise goals were perceived to be important but rarely received by the participants. CONCLUSION: Understanding how older people with human immunodeficiency virus perceive PA is crucial to developing tailored strategies and structuring service delivery within the healthcare setting to promote a physically active life.

Factors Related to the Need for Informal Care Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Chile.

PURPOSE: To identify factors contributing to the need for informal care among community-dwelling older adults with functional impairment in Chile. METHOD: A secondary data analysis was conducted using cross-sectional data from 540 Chilean older adults aged ≥60 years (mean age = 72.2 years, SD = 6.22 years). RESULTS: Informal care need was reported by 24.3% (n = 131) of participants. Among the variables that most influenced the need for informal care among older adults were hospitalization in the past 1 year, functionality, comorbidities, and multidimensional frailty (all p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study identified factors that clinicians and nurses should be aware of when caring for this population to prevent or manage the need for informal care. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 50(2), 43-52.].

Skeletal muscle DNA methylation: Effects of exercise and HIV.

Aging, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and antiretroviral therapy modify the epigenetic profile and function of cells and tissues, including skeletal muscle (SkM). In some cells, accelerated epigenetic aging begins very soon after the initial HIV infection, potentially setting the stage for the early onset of frailty. Exercise imparts epigenetic modifications in SkM that may underpin some health benefits, including delayed frailty, in people living with HIV (PWH). In this first report of exercise-related changes in SkM DNA methylation among PWH, we investigated the impact of 24 weeks of aerobic and resistance exercise training on SkM (vastus lateralis) DNA methylation profiles and epigenetic age acceleration (EAA) in older, virally suppressed PWH (n = 12) and uninfected controls (n = 18), and associations of EAA with physical function at baseline. We identified 983 differentially methylated positions (DMPs) in PWH and controls at baseline and 237 DMPs after training. The influence of HIV serostatus on SkM methylation was more pronounced than that of exercise training. There was little overlap in the genes associated with the probes most significantly differentiated by exercise training within each group. Baseline EAA (mean ± SD) was similar between PWH (-0.4 ± 2.5 years) and controls (0.2 ± 2.6 years), and the exercise effect was not significant (p = 0.79). EAA and physical function at baseline were not significantly correlated (all p ≥ 0.10). This preliminary investigation suggests HIV-specific epigenetic adaptations in SkM with exercise training but confirmation in a larger study that includes transcriptomic analysis is warranted.

Creative Arts Therapy Among Children With Cancer: Symptom Assessment Reveals Reduced Anxiety.

BACKGROUND: Symptom distress is related to decreased quality of life (QOL) among children with cancer, with high levels of pain, nausea, and anxiety reported. Creative arts therapy (CAT) has been related to improved QOL and symptoms in pediatric oncology, but the quality of evidence is mixed. OBJECTIVE: This article aims to examine the QOL symptom subscales in relation to CAT over time in children during the first year of cancer treatment. METHODS: A secondary analysis of prospective data was performed with linear mixed modeling on 267 observations with predictors of 2 groups: No CAT (n = 18) vs CAT (n = 65). The covariate of time (6 months) was used to explore the CAT relationship with the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) symptom subscales (pain and hurt, nausea, procedural anxiety, treatment anxiety, worry, cognitive problems, perceived physical appearance, and communication). RESULTS: Children (n = 83) were between 3 and 17 years old (M = 6), 51.2% female, and 32% minority. All tumor types were represented: liquid (37.3%), solid (24.1%), and central nervous system (38.6%). Reduced child report of procedural anxiety was significantly related to receiving CAT with a medium magnitude of association (adjusted effect size = 0.58, P = .01). CONCLUSION: Creative arts interventions were associated with a longitudinal improvement in anxiety in children with cancer. Further work is needed to target interventions to the appropriate specific burdensome symptoms. IMPLICATION FOR PRACTICE: Pediatric oncology nurses can advocate for CAT as an effective intervention to ameliorate the burdensome procedural anxiety experienced by patients.

Chronotropic Incompetence among People with HIV Improves with Exercise Training in the Exercise for Healthy Aging Study.

Background: People with HIV (PWH) have lower exercise capacity compared to HIV-uninfected peers, which may be explained by chronotropic incompetence (CI), the inability to increase heart rate during exercise. Methods: The Exercise for Healthy Aging Study included adults ages 50-75 with and without HIV. Participants completed 12 weeks of moderate intensity exercise, before randomization to moderate or high intensity for 12 additional weeks. We compared adjusted heart rate reserve (AHRR; CI <80%) on cardiopulmonary exercise testing by HIV serostatus, and change from baseline to 12 and 24 weeks using mixed effects models. Results: Among 32 PWH and 37 controls (median age 56, 7% female, mean BMI 28 kg/m2), 28% of PWH compared to 11% of controls had CI at baseline (p=0.067). AHRR was lower among PWH (91 vs 102%; difference 11%, 95% CI 2.5-19.7; p=0.01). At week 12, AHRR normalized among PWH (+8%, 95% CI 4-11; p<0.001) and was sustained at week 24 (+5, 95%CI 1-9; p=0.008) compared to no change among controls (95%CI -4 to 4; p=0.95; pinteraction=0.004). After 24 weeks of exercise, only 15% PWH and 10% of controls had CI (p=0.70). Conclusions: Chronotropic incompetence contributes to reduced exercise capacity among PWH and improves with exercise training.

HIV-Related Stigma and Multidimensional Frailty Among Older Latinos With HIV.

Introduction: Frailty is a geriatric syndrome of increased vulnerability to stressors marked by a higher risk for poor health outcomes. HIV-related stigma is a stressor for Latino people with HIV (PWH) and an important barrier to HIV care. This study examines the association between HIV-related stigma and multidimensional frailty among older Latino PWH. Methods: A cross-sectional design with 120 Latino PWH aged 50 and older was used. Self-reported questionnaires were administered to assess multidimensional frailty (Tilburg Frailty Indicator) and HIV-related stigma (HIV stigma scale). Results: Participants were 59.1 ± 7.0 years old, primarily White-Hispanic (85.00%, n = 102), single (48.33%, n = 58), and male (73.30%, n = 88). Nearly half of the participants were frail (45.85%, n = 55). Compared to non-frail, frail individuals had significantly higher scores in the total HIV-related stigma (M = 98.5 ± 24.7 vs. M = 85.3 ± 25.6, p = .020) and all subscales. The odds of multidimensional frailty were 1.021 times higher for people with higher HIV-related stigma scores (p = .007). This association remained significant after adjustment for income and comorbidities (p = .049). Conclusions: HIV-related stigma among older Latino PWH was significantly associated with their odds of being frail. Efforts to prevent multidimensional frailty should consider addressing HIV-related stigma through age-appropriate and culturally tailored resources for this group.

The use of non-invasive imaging modalities for the assessment of skeletal muscle quantity and quality in people with HIV: A narrative review.

BACKGROUND: People with HIV (PWH) are prone to mobility impairments and physical dysfunction, with the loss of skeletal muscle quantity and quality being a major contributor to the dysfunction. Assessment of skeletal muscle is an important component of care for this patient population for early intervention and treatment. The use of non-invasive imaging techniques to evaluate skeletal muscle, such as dual X-ray absorptiometry, computer tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, has increased in popularity in recent years. PURPOSE: This narrative review synthesizes the use of these techniques and summarizes the associations between outcomes from these imaging modalities and physical function in PWH.

Perceptions and Attitudes toward a Proposed Digital Health Physical Activity Program among Older Family Caregivers of Persons with Heart Failure: A Qualitative Study.

Tailored physical activity (PA) programs using digital health technologies in the home can promote family caregivers' (FCGs) physical function and psychological wellbeing. However, there is a gap in research for digital health PA interventions targeting older FCGs of persons with HF (HF-FCGs). The burden of caregiving for persons with HF may displace the FCG's self-care, including PA. Therefore, we examined older HF-FCGs' perceptions and attitudes toward three technology components (video-conferencing, fitness tracker, text messaging) that would be most useful in delivering a digital health PA program. Interviews were conducted with 13 HF-FCGs (≥65 years old) between January and April 2021. Directed content analysis was used and the analysis was guided by the adapted unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model. In addition to HF-FCGs' perceptions and attitudes toward each technology component in each construct of the adapted UTAUT model (ease of use, usefulness, facilitating conditions), three additional factors were associated with intention to use technology. These were: (1) HF patients' positive experience, (2) digital skills, and (3) quality of internet connectivity. The findings provide digital health requirements for design and modification of a technology-supported PA program that engages older FCGs who care for persons with HF.

Heart Failure Family Caregivers' Perspectives of Physical Activity Engagement: A Qualitative Study.

Research on caregiver burden and related psychological distress has been widely studied. However, little research has focused on perspectives and experiences of older family caregivers of persons with heart failure on engaging in physical exercise to improve their health and wellness. We investigated barriers and facilitators influencing physical activity engagement for older family caregivers of persons with heart failure through a qualitative descriptive study design utilizing participant interviews. The social cognitive theory framework guided the thematic analysis. Identified themes and subthemes that emerged were centered around the framework's interrelated personal, environmental, and behavioral factors. Self-efficacy emerged as a central construct facilitating engagement in physical activity. The older family caregivers embraced technology for physical activity interventions more readily since the COVID-19 pandemic encouraged increased technology use. The age-related and caregiving barriers to physical activity found in this study highlight considerations for an older family caregiver and guide interventions for future family caregivers' engagement.

Impact of Food Insecurity and Undernutrition on Frailty and Physical Functioning in Aging People With HIV in the United States.

ABSTRACT: We conducted an observational cross-sectional study to explore whether food insecurity or undernutrition was associated with frailty or low physical functioning in aging persons with HIV (PWH). Forty-eight PWH aged 50 years and older were enrolled. Independent samples t -tests and chi-square tests were used to examine the relationship of food insecurity or undernutrition to frailty or physical function. Participants were 58.6 (±6.3) years old, 83% male, 77% White, 21% Hispanic. In total, 44% experienced food insecurity and 71% experienced undernutrition, whereas 23% were frail and 69% were prefrail. Food insecurity was associated with impaired total short physical performance battery score ( p = .02), impaired balance ( p = .02), slower chair rise time ( p = .03), and weight loss within 12 months ( p = .05). Undernutrition was related to female gender ( p = .01), worse frailty ( p = .04), and weaker grip strength ( p = .03). In this sample of undernourished and frail PWH, strong relationships between undernutrition and frailty were observed.

Development of a reference chart for monitoring cancer-related fatigue throughout a supervised exercise program.

BACKGROUND: Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is one of the most reported and functionally limiting symptoms experienced by individuals living with and beyond cancer. Exercise is effective at reducing CRF, though currently it is not possible to predict the magnitude and time course of improvement for an individual participating in an exercise program. OBJECTIVE: To develop a reference chart of CRF improvement for individuals participating in a 3-month cancer-specific exercise program. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, CRF was assessed every two weeks (using the FACIT - Fatigue scale, range: 0 - 52 with lower scores indicating greater fatigue) in 173 individuals participating in a 3-month supervised exercise program (741 observations). No cancer types were excluded and individuals were either undergoing chemotherapy and/or radiation, or within 6 months of completing treatment. The reference chart was developed using Generalized Additive Models for Location Scale and Shape. RESULTS: Each participant had an average of four CRF observations. Lower centiles demonstrated greater improvement than higher centiles (11 points over the duration of the program for the 10th and 4 points for the 90th percentiles). LIMITATIONS: The population is biased to individuals self-selecting or being referred to a clinical exercise program. CONCLUSIONS: This reference chart provides a novel method of monitoring CRF improvement during a cancer-specific exercise program. Setting appropriate expectations and informing exercise prescription adaptation are discussed in the context of representative data from three participants. Future research can investigate improvements in clinical outcomes and the remote monitoring of CRF through the implementation of the reference chart.

Quality of Life Outcomes With Creative Arts Therapy in Children With Cancer.

Introduction: Children with cancer experience distress and decreased quality of life (QOL). Creative arts therapy (CAT) is a therapeutic modality which may improve QOL. This study examined the relationship between CAT and QOL in children and adolescents with cancer. Secondary aims explored relationships between CAT and emotional reactions, resilience, and posture (to investigate future potential as an objective biomarker of QOL). Methods: Children aged 3-18 years undergoing cancer treatments and a parent proxy completed the PedsQL3.0 Cancer Module, Faces Scale for emotional reactions, Resilience Scale in adolescents (>12 years), and an inclinometer to measure thoracic kyphosis before and after CAT. CAT exposure (number of sessions) was recorded. Results: Ninety-eight children with cancer (mean age 7.8 years, range 3-17) and parent proxy were enrolled. Of the 83 participants included in the final analysis, 18 received no CAT, 32 received low dose, and 33 received high dose CAT. A significant improvement in QOL was seen with high dose CAT in (slope change, p = .015), but the overall time by group interaction was not significant. Slope change response patterns suggested that CAT led to improved posture as compared to no CAT (time by group interaction, p = .044). Discussion: CAT may be an effective intervention to improve QOL in this population. Because initial evidence suggests that posture also improves with CAT, further investigation of posture as a potential objective biomarker of QOL is supported. Further study with a randomized controlled trial is warranted.

Low- and High-Intensity Physical Activity Among People with HIV: Multilevel Modeling Analysis Using Sensor- and Survey-Based Predictors.

BACKGROUND: High-intensity physical activity improves the health of people with HIV. Even when people have good intentions to engage in physical activity, they often find it difficult to maintain physical activity behavior in the long term. Two Minds Theory is a neurocognitive model that explains gaps between people's intentions and behaviors based on the operations of 2 independent mental systems. This model predicts that everyday experiences will affect physical activity and that factors outside people's awareness, such as sleep and stress, can have particularly strong effects on physical activity behaviors. OBJECTIVE: We designed this study to test the effects of daily experiences on physical activity among people with HIV, including measures of people's conscious experiences using daily electronic surveys and measures of nonconscious influences using sensor devices. METHODS: In this study, 55 people with HIV wore a Fitbit Alta for 30 days to monitor their physical activity, sleep, and heart rate variability (HRV) as a physiological indicator of stress. Participants also used their smartphones to complete daily electronic surveys for the same 30 days about fatigue, self-efficacy, mood, stress, coping, motivation, and barriers to self-care. Time-lagged, within-person, multilevel models were used to identify the best prospective predictors of physical activity, considering the daily survey responses of people with HIV and sensor data as predictors of their physical activity the following day. We also tested baseline surveys as predictors of physical activity for comparison with daily variables. RESULTS: Different people had different average levels of physical activity; however, physical activity also varied substantially from day to day, and daily measures were more predictive than baseline surveys. This suggests a chance to intervene based on day-to-day variations in physical activity. High-intensity physical activity was more likely when people with HIV reported less subjective fatigue on the prior day (r=-0.48) but was unrelated to actual sleep based on objective sensor data. High-intensity physical activity was also predicted by higher HRV (r=0.56), indicating less stress, lower HIV-related stigma (r=-0.21), fewer barriers to self-care (r=-0.34), and less approach coping (r=-0.34). Similar variables predicted lower-level physical activity measured based on the number of steps per day of people with HIV. CONCLUSIONS: Some predictors of physical activity, such as HRV, were only apparent based on sensor data, whereas others, such as fatigue, could be measured via self-report. Findings about coping were unexpected; however, other findings were in line with the literature. This study extends our prior knowledge on physical activity by demonstrating a prospective effect of everyday experiences on physical activity behavior, which is in line with the predictions of Two Minds Theory. Clinicians can support the physical activity of people with HIV by helping their patients reduce their daily stress, fatigue, and barriers to self-care.

Lipidome Alterations with Exercise Among People With and Without HIV: An Exploratory Study.

Age-related comorbidities and physical function impairments in aging people with HIV (PWH) can be improved through exercise interventions. The mechanisms underlying these improvements, including lipidomic changes, are unknown. Sedentary adults (50-75 years old) with or without HIV participated in supervised endurance/resistance exercise for 24 weeks. Plasma lipid concentrations (∼1,200 lipid species from 13 lipid classes) at baseline and week 24 were measured by mass spectrometry. Given multiple comparisons, unadjusted and Benjamini-Hochberg corrected p values are reported. Analyses are considered exploratory. Twenty-five PWH and 24 controls had paired samples at baseline and week 24. The change in total triacylglycerol (TAG) concentrations after exercise intervention differed between groups (unadj-p = 0.006, adj-p = 0.078) with concentrations increasing among controls, but not among PWH. Changes in concentrations of TAG species composed of long-chain fatty acids differed between groups (unadj-p < 0.04) with increases among controls, but not among PWH. Changes in total diacylglycerol (DAG) concentration from baseline to week 24 differed between groups (unadj-p = 0.03, adj-p = 0.2) with an increase in PWH and a nonsignificant decrease in controls. Baseline to week 24 changes in DAGs composed of palmitic acid (16:0), palmitoleic acid (16:1), and stearic acid (18:0) differed by serostatus (unadj-p = 0.009-0.03; adj-p 0.10-0.12), with nonsignificant increases and decreases in concentrations in PWH and controls, respectively. Concentrations of individual lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) and ceramide (CER) species also differed by HIV serostatus (unadj-p < = 0.05). Although exploratory, the effects of exercise on the lipidome may differ among people with and without HIV, potentially due to underlying alterations in lipid processing and fatty acid oxidation in PWH. Clinical Trials NCT02404792.

The High-Intensity Exercise Study to Attenuate Limitations and Train Habits in Older Adults With HIV (HEALTH): A Research Protocol.

ABSTRACT: The High-Intensity Exercise Study to Attenuate Limitations and Train Habits in Older Adults With HIV (HEALTH), which incorporates an exercise and biobehavioral coaching intervention, has the following overall goals: (a) to determine whether high-intensity interval training (HIIT) mitigates physical function impairments, fatigue, and impairments in mitochondrial bioenergetics of older people living with HIV (PLWH) to a greater extent than continuous moderate exercise (CME); and (b) to determine whether a biobehavioral coaching and mobile health text messaging intervention after HIIT or CME can promote long-term adherence to physical activity. The HEALTH study is a randomized trial of 100 older PLWH (≥50 years of age) who self-report fatigue and have a sedentary lifestyle. Enrolled participants will be randomized to 16 weeks of supervised HIIT or CME training, followed by a 12-week maintenance phase, involving a mobile health coaching intervention. Outcomes of the HEALTH study will inform the development of scalable, effective exercise recommendations tailored to the unique needs of aging PLWH.

Feasibility of Implementing Physical Activity Behavior Change Counseling in an Existing Cancer-Exercise Program.

PURPOSE: This study examined the feasibility and acceptability of implementing research-tested physical activity (PA) behavior change counseling (BCC) sessions in an existing cancer-exercise program, and the preliminary effects on cancer survivor's self-efficacy and PA. METHODS: Participants were cancer survivors undergoing or within six-months of completing cancer treatment(s), and exercise program staff. Cancer survivors were randomized to receive the exercise program plus PABCC, or the standard exercise program. Feasibility and acceptability were assessed by recruitment, adherence, satisfaction, and a focus group with program staff. Qualitative data were analyzed using descriptive thematic analysis. Self-report questionnaires measured PA and exercise self-efficacy. RESULTS: Recruitment was 33 out of 93 (36.7%), and n = 13 (39%) provided post-program data. Cancer survivors enjoyed PABCC sessions, but reported face-to-face delivery was an added time burden. Program staff expressed desire to implement PABCC, but perceived staff capacity and time as barriers to sustainability. Exercise self-efficacy increased by 21.5% in the PABCC group vs. 4.2% in the control. PA increased by 81.3% in the PABCC group vs. 16.6% in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Implementing PABCC in an existing cancer-exercise program was acceptable and promising for increasing moderate to vigorous PA, but additional research is needed to enhance the feasibility and sustainability of translating efficacious behavioral interventions into existing cancer-exercise programs.