A single-armed proof-of-concept study of Lymfit: A personalized, virtual exercise intervention to improve health outcomes in lymphoma survivors in the pandemic.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Treatments of lymphoma can lead to reduced physical functioning, cancer-related fatigue, depression, anxiety, and insomnia. These side effects can negatively impact the cancer survivor's quality of life. Mounting evidence indicates that physical activities are highly therapeutic in mitigating the short- and long-term side effects of cancer treatments. Yet, lymphoma survivors' participation in physical activities remains suboptimal, which has been further exacerbated by the deleterious effects of isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lymfit intervention aims to offer motivational support, expert guidance, and a personalized exercise prescription to optimize physical activities among lymphoma survivors. This proof-of-concept study explores implementation feasibility (retention, technical and safety), and the preliminary effects of Lymfit on various health outcomes. METHOD: This was a single-armed trial with a pre-and post-test design. Twenty lymphoma survivors were recruited to participate in the 12-week Lymfit intervention. Wearable activity trackers (Fitbit) were given to participants as a motivational tool and for data collection purposes. Participants received a personalized exercise prescription designed by a kinesiologist. Physiologic metrics were collected by the Fitbit monitors and were stored in the Lymfit database. Self-reported questionnaires measuring health outcomes were collected at baseline and post-intervention. RESULTS: The retention rate of this trial was 70%. Minimal technical issues and no adverse effects were reported. Lymfit led to significant improvements in sleep disturbances and the ability to participate in social activities and decreased fear of cancer recurrence. It also increased daily steps and decreased sedentary time in participants who did not meet the recommended physical activity guidelines. SIGNIFICANCE: With access to resources and fitness centers being limited during the pandemic, the Lymfit intervention filled an immediate need to provide physical activity guidance to lymphoma survivors. Findings provide preliminary support that implementing the Lymfit intervention is feasible and demonstrated promising results.

A proof-of-concept study of iCope: A nurse-led psychoeducational telephone intervention for women attending a rapid diagnostic centre for breast abnormality.

The period between the initial discovery of a suspicious breast lesion and a confirmed diagnosis is a time of significant psychological distress, heightened anxiety, and uncertainty for many women. This proof of concept (PoC) study explored the clinical outcomes and acceptability of iCope, a nurse-led psycho-educational telephone intervention aimed to assist with uncertainty, anxiety and coping in women going through a Rapid Diagnostic Centre (RDC) offering quick diagnosis of breast cancer (same day to three-day post-investigation). Guided by the Uncertainty Theory, and using a one-arm pretest-posttest design, two brief 15-minute telephone sessions were delivered by a nurse prior to the women's day of testing at the RDC and three days after the receipt of their results. Six women completed measures of anxiety, uncertainty, and coping before the clinic visit, three days and three weeks after receiving their test results. Results show that the implementation of the telephone intervention was challenging, yet may offer potential for positive impact. That is, trends of decreased uncertainty and anxiety in participants over time were noted. Considering the difficulty observed in the recruitment and delivering the two interventions in the timeline planned, feasibility testing is recommended before the conduct of a large-scale study.

Exploring Sources of Information and Religious Beliefs in Regard to HPV and Vaccination Among Hispanic/Latino College Students in the USA.

We identified (a) sources of and communication about HPV information and (b) factors (e.g., religious affiliations) related to information sources and communication regarding HPV among Hispanic/Latino college students attending US institutions. Applying a cross-sectional design, we recruited 209 participants from US colleges. Most participants used healthcare professionals for their sources and communication about HPV-related information. Respondents who were practicing Catholics tended to use the Internet and healthcare professionals as their sources for HPV-related information. Healthcare professionals, TV, schoolteachers, same-sex friends, and family members affected participants' HPV vaccination, knowledge, and attitudes. Religious faith may influence information-seeking behaviors and requires more research.

Motivation to Consent and Adhere to the FORT Randomized Controlled Trial.

The aim of this qualitative study was to identify the motivational factors that influence cancer survivors to participate and adhere to the fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) FORT randomized controlled trial (RCT). Fifteen women diagnosed with breast and gynecological cancer who took part in the FORT RCT were interviewed about their experience to consent and adhere to the trial. The transcribed interviews were content analyzed within a relational autonomy framework. The analysis revealed that the participants' motivation to consent and adhere to the FORT RCT was structured around thirteen subthemes grouped into four overarching themes: (1) Personal Influential Factors; (2) Societal Motivations; (3) Structural Influences; and (4) Gains in Emotional Support. The unique structures of the trial such as the group format, the friendships formed with other participants in their group and with the group leaders, and the right timing of the trial within their cancer survivorship trajectory all contributed to their motivation to consent and adhere to the FORT RCT. While their initial motivation to participate was mostly altruistic, it was their personal gains obtained over the course of the trial that contributed to their adherence. Potential gains in emotional and social support from psycho-oncology trials should be capitalized when approaching future participants as a mean to improve on motivations to consent and adhere.

Considerations of Control Conditions Designs in Randomized Controlled Trials of Exercise Interventions for Cancer Survivors.

BACKGROUND: Given the multifaceted complexity in the nature of randomized controlled trials, identifying an appropriate and comparable control condition is an essential step to ensure methodological rigor, which allows for researchers to draw unambiguous conclusions concerning the efficacy of the intervention being studied. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this paper are to (a) review the current literature and analyze the control condition designs in exercise interventions targeted for cancer survivors; (b) provide an overview of the benefits and limitations of various types of control conditions used in exercise interventions; (c) discuss the considerations in the design of control conditions for exercise interventions; and (d) suggest recommendations for control condition design in future trials of behavioral interventions. RESULTS: The review of randomized controlled trials of exercise training interventions for cancer survivors revealed that the design of control conditions varied. The most commonly employed design could be classified into two major categories: (a) active controls including attention control, add-on controls, and dismantling controls; and (b) inactive controls including no-treatment, usual care, and wait-list control. Examples from the literature are presented. Four principal considerations concerning control condition design, including appropriateness, credibility, appeal, and comparability, are discussed. Recommendations on how to avoid some major threats to validity and potential biases are also provided. CONCLUSIONS: Careful planning for the control group design is as important as for the intervention group. Researchers can use the considerations presented in the paper to assist in planning for the most appropriate control condition for their study.

Motivation for Health Promotion in Cancer Survivors: An Evolutionary Concept Analysis.

Motivation for health promotion is an essential concept in health care research, as it pertains to an individual's ability to adapt to the adversity of chronic illnesses, including cancer. Adopting Rodgers' evolutionary method of concept analysis, the objective of this article is to clarify the concept based on its existing operationalization noted in cancer survivorship literature. Through a close examination of the construction of the concept, this article facilitates the understanding of concept as it relates to the field of cancer survivorship care, which in turn helps provide guidance for developing health promotion intervention targeted at cancer survivors.

Fear of Cancer Recurrence, Health Anxiety, Worry, and Uncertainty: A Scoping Review About Their Conceptualization and Measurement Within Breast Cancer Survivorship Research.

Objective: Fear of Cancer Recurrence (FCR), Health Anxiety (HA), worry, and uncertainty in illness are psychological concerns commonly faced by cancer patients. In survivorship research, these similar, yet different constructs are frequently used interchangeably and multiple instruments are used in to measure them. The lack of clear and consistent conceptualization and measurement can lead to diverse or contradictory interpretations. The purpose of this scoping review was to review, compare, and analyze the current conceptualization and measurements used for FCR, HA, worry, and uncertainty in the breast cancer survivorship literature to improve research and practice. Inclusion Criteria: We considered quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods studies of breast cancer survivors that examined FCR, HA, worry, or uncertainty in illness as a main topic and included a definition or assessment of the constructs. Methods and Analysis: The six-staged framework was used to guide the scoping review process. Searches of PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO databases were conducted. The principle-based qualitative analysis and simultaneous content analysis procedures were employed to synthesize and map the findings. Findings: After duplicate removal, the search revealed 3,299 articles, of which 82 studies met the inclusion criteria. Several critical attributes overlapped the four constructs, for example, all were triggered by internal somatic and external cues. However, several unique attributes were found (e.g., a sense of loss of security in the body is observed only among survivors experiencing FCR). Overall, findings showed that FCR and uncertainty in illness are more likely to be triggered by cancer-specific factors, while worry and HA have more trait-like in terms of characteristics, theoretical features, and correlates. We found that the measures used to assess each construct were on par with their intended constructs. Eighteen approaches were used to measure FCR, 15 for HA, 8 for worry, and 4 for uncertainty. Conclusion: While consensus on the conceptualization and measurement of the four constructs has not yet been reached, this scoping review identifies key similarities and differences to aid in their selection and measurement. Considering the observed overlap between the four studied constructs, further research delineating the unique attributes for each construct is warranted.