An mHealth Intervention Strategy for Physical Activity Coaching in Cancer Survivors

Many cancer survivors experience severe fatigue long after they have finished curative treatment. The aim of this study was to develop an intervention strategy that aims to decrease cancer-related fatigue by integrating a physical activity coaching system in primary care physiotherapy. This development started from the current state of the art. Therefore, firstly, an overview is given about physical activity goals for cancer-related fatigue, relevant cognitive behavioral change factors in this context, and recommendations for using mobile Health applications. Subsequently, interviews with five experienced health professionals were held to define recommendations for the first draft intervention strategy. Via an iterative process with two physiotherapists and a patient, the final intervention strategy was developed. The final result is a 9-week intervention strategy that could benefit a large variety of patients with chronic cancer-related fatigue, that has the potential to be integrated successfully in current primary health care, and is currently evaluated in a large randomized controlled trial.