JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Approximately 80% of colorectal cancer survivors have at least one comorbidity. Physical activity (PA) can mitigate the adverse effects of disease treatment, reduce patients’ mortality rate, and improve their quality of life (QoL). However, colorectal cancer survivors generally engage in insufficient PA. The present study proposed that web-based interventions can assist patients with colorectal cancer in improving their PA behavior to induce health-promoting effects, thus positively influencing their QoL.

Objective:

To perform a systematic literature review, to employ web-based interventions to improve the PA behavior and QoL of colorectal cancer survivors, and to assess the quality of research articles.

Methods:

A systematic literature search was performed based on the PRISMA guidelines to compile literature on the influence of web-based interventions on the PA activity and QoL of colorectal cancer survivors. Electronic databases (PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and CEPS) were searched up until July 2020. Additionally, the researchers manually searched for journal articles referenced in the collected literature. Literature quality assessment and data extraction were performed by 3 researchers individually using the Joanna Briggs Institute appraisal tool.

Results:

Among the 438 searched studies, 6 published between 2009 and 2019 met the inclusion criteria. Of these studies, 4 had adopted randomized controlled trial designs and 2 had employed one-group pretest–posttest designs. The collected literature exhibited risk of bias to varying degrees. The overall outcomes revealed that after 6 months of web-based interventions, participants’ performance in PA indicators improved significantly (P = .03). Additionally, a comparison conducted using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life scale revealed no significant differences between the experiment group, which received 3 months of intervention, and the control group (P = .24). However, a comparison conducted using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Colorectal questionnaire indicated a significant difference in QoL indicators between groups (P = .01).

Conclusions:

Web-based interventions are conducive to improving the PA behavior and QoL of colorectal cancer survivors. Because intervention outcomes may differ based on the intervention time and the assessment tools used, more randomized controlled trial–based clinical research is required to provide suggestions for clinical practice.