ASPO Abstracts
Feasibility of Using mHealth Activity and Dietary Trackers in Combination with Social Media to Enhance Survivorship Care and Improve Lifestyle Factors associated with Cardiovascular Disease
Category: Survivorship & Health Outcomes/Comparative Effectiveness Research
Conference Year: 2020
Abstract Body:
PURPOSE: Hematopoietic cell transplant survivors have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD)
compared with the general population due to treatment-related exposures. METHODS: Pilot randomized control
trial testing the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a 4mo mobile health intervention consisting of physical activity
(Fitbit) and diet (Healthwatch360) trackers, individualized goal setting (daily steps, sodium, saturated fat, added
sugar intake), and a private social media (Facebook) peer support group. Control participants had access to
physical activity and diet trackers without coaching or peer support. All participants received standardized
survivorship counseling with tailored advice by telephone from an oncology nurse practitioner. Eligible participants
were 18-55y and 5-10y post-transplant. Baseline and follow-up assessments of physical activity and diet were
obtained via Actigraph (sedentary and moderate-vigorous activity time [MVPA]) and food frequency questionnaire
(sodium, saturated fat, total added sugar, 2015 Healthy Eating Index [HEI]), respectively. RESULTS: We enrolled
21 participants (median age 42y [range 20-55]; 38.1% male; 12 intervention; 9 control). Fitbit (≥500 steps/d) and
Healthwatch (≥500 calories/d) use was more common among intervention vs controls subjects (83 vs 50% and 50
vs 22%, respectively). Most intervention participants (75%) viewed, liked, or commented on Facebook posts. With
limited sample size (n=20; 9 controls), no comparisons between groups met statistical significance. However,
when change from baseline was analyzed, the intervention was associated with greater reductions in daily
average (±SD) sodium (-978±1495 vs -550±1281mg), saturated fat (-8.2±12.5 vs -5.8±11.7g), total added sugars
(-19.9±32.4 vs -1.7±13.9g), and an improved HEI (2.0±7.3 vs. 0.6±7.9) vs controls. The intervention was also
associated with greater reduction in sedentary time from baseline vs control (-41.6±108.4 vs -4.0±71.7min/d) but
not change in MVPA (0.7±14.4 vs 3.5±7.9min/d). CONCLUSIONS: The addition of social media support and
individualized goal-setting targeting CVD risk reduction was feasible among cancer survivors with promising
outcomes for dietary change. A more robustly powered study is warranted to evaluate efficacy.
Keywords: physical activity, diet, survivorship, cardiovascular disease