Community Volunteers Promoting Physical Activity Among Cancer Survivors
- Conditions
- Breast Cancer
- Interventions
- Behavioral: Moving Forward Together 2
- Registration Number
- NCT00948701
- Lead Sponsor
- The Miriam Hospital
- Brief Summary
Physical activity programs, when offered in research settings, have been shown to improve quality of life and reduce fatigue among breast cancer survivors. The investigators are training Reach to Recovery volunteers at the American Cancer Society (New England Division) to provide a 12-week telephone-based physical activity program (RTR Plus) for breast cancer survivors. The comparison group of survivors will receive Reach to Recovery services (RTR). Physical activity, fatigue and other outcomes will be examined among 108 breast cancer survivors at the start of the program, at 12 weeks and 24 weeks. If the physical activity program is found to be effective, there is a potential for dissemination among the 13,000 Reach to Recovery volunteers across the U.S.
- Detailed Description
The current study, a randomized controlled trial, represents the next step in our efforts to extend the research on physical activity to the community setting; community volunteers will deliver the intervention, thereby making physical activity interventions much more accessible to survivors. In partnership with the National ACS office (Atlanta, GA) and the New England ACS Division, researchers at the Miriam Hospital will share their skills, experience and resources to examine the effects of training RTR volunteers to deliver brief physical activity counseling to breast cancer survivors. Fifteen to twenty RTR volunteers will be trained to offer a 12-week telephone-based PA program as a supplement to 12-week RTR services (RTR Plus) vs. delivering the standard 12-week RTR services (RTR) to 108 breast cancer survivors. Assessments of physical activity, fatigue and other outcomes will be completed at baseline, 12 weeks and 24 weeks. Data on side-effects of the intervention and costs of intervention delivery will be tracked. If the proposed randomized trial demonstrates positive effects, the results will be used to design and support a dissemination trial of the effects of physical activity promotion to enhance cancer recovery in a community setting.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- UNKNOWN
- Sex
- Female
- Target Recruitment
- 108
Not provided
Not provided
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Phone-based PA program (RTR Plus) Moving Forward Together 2 The PA intervention consists of PA counseling, matched to participants' motivational readiness, plus educational materials. RTR volunteers or "coaches" will be asked to contact participants by telephone once a week for 12 weeks. The purpose of these calls is to build a supportive relationship with the participant, monitor PA participation, identify any health concerns, assist the participant to identify relevant barriers to PA and help her to problem solve to overcome such barriers. Standard RTR services (RTR) Moving Forward Together 2 RTR volunteers will contact the participants in this group by telephone once a week, providing support and information integral to RTR. The volunteers will also review the educational materials sent to all participants receiving RTR services. This will allow the volunteers to build a relationship with the participants over 12 weeks and ensure that these participants receive a minimal intervention, reducing the risk of attrition at the 12-week assessment.
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Physical activity - recorded via accelerometer and through interviewer-administered Seven Day Activity Recall (7 day PAR). Baseline, 12 weeks, 24 weeks
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Fatigue - assessed with FACT-F Baseline, 12 weeks, 24 weeks
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, The Miriam Hospital, One Hoppin Street, Suite 314
🇺🇸Providence, Rhode Island, United States