Accepted for/Published in: JMIR mHealth and uHealth
Date Submitted: Mar 25, 2020
Date Accepted: Jun 4, 2020
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Breast Cancer Survivors’ Perspectives on Motivational and Personalization Strategies in Mobile App-Based Physical Activity Coaching Interventions: A Qualitative Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Despite the growing evidence supporting the vital benefits of physical activity for breast cancer survivors, the majority is not meeting the recommended levels of activity. Mobile app-based physical activity coaching interventions might be a feasible strategy to facilitate adherence of breast cancer survivors to the physical activity guidelines. In order to engage these individuals, physical activity apps need to be specifically designed based on their needs and preferences and to provide targeted support and motivation. However, there is more to understand about how these technologies can provide individual and relevant experiences that are able to increase physical activity adherence and retain their interest in the long-term.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to explore the insights from breast cancer survivors on motivational and personalization strategies to be used in physical activity coaching apps and interventions.
Methods:
A qualitative study was conducted, through individual semi-structured interviews held with 14 breast cancer survivors. The moderator asked open-ended questions and made use of a slideshow presentation to elicit the participants’ perspectives on potential mobile app-based intervention features. Transcribed interviews were evaluated by three reviewers using thematic content analysis.
Results:
Participants (mean age 53.3, SD 8.7, years) were all white females. 57% (8/14) of participants did not adhere to the physical activity guidelines. In general, participants had access and were interested in using technology. Themes identified included (1) barriers for PA, (2) motivational aspects in PA adherence, (3) app-based intervention characteristics for motivation-support, (4) personalized app experience and (5) technology trustworthiness. Motivational determinants identified included perceived control, confidence, capability and growth, and connectedness. Participants were interested in having a straightforward app for monitoring and goal setting, that would include a prescribed activity program and schedule, and positive communication. Opinions varied in regards to social and game-like system possibilities. Also, they expressed a desire for a personalized coaching experience that would collect as much information as possible from them (eg, disease stage, physical limitations, preferences), provide individualized progress information, provide dynamic adjustment of the training plan and provide activity suggestions based on user’s situational context (eg, weather and location). Participants also wanted the app to be validated or backed by professionals and would be willing to share their data in exchange for a more personalized experience.
Conclusions:
This work suggests the need to develop simple, guiding, encouraging and trustworthy PA coaching apps. Findings are in line with behavioral and personalization theories and methods which can be used to inform intervention design decisions. This paper opens up new possibilities for the design of personalized and engaging physical activity coaching app experiences for breast cancer survivors, which might, ultimately, facilitate adherence of these individuals to the recommended levels of activity.
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Copyright
© The authors. All rights reserved. This is a privileged document currently under peer-review/community review (or an accepted/rejected manuscript). Authors have provided JMIR Publications with an exclusive license to publish this preprint on it's website for review and ahead-of-print citation purposes only. While the final peer-reviewed paper may be licensed under a cc-by license on publication, at this stage authors and publisher expressively prohibit redistribution of this draft paper other than for review purposes.