JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Physical inactivity is a global issue for cancer survivors. Wearable activity trackers are promising to address physical inactivity by providing real-time feedback on physical activity and offering opportunities for self-monitoring and goal setting. Meta-analysis has reported the effects of interventions that incorporate wearable activity trackers on improved physical inactivity and related health outcomes (e.g., body mass index, anxiety and depression, and self-rated health status). However, wearable activity trackers were often used as an adjunct to physical activity interventions, and the effectiveness of wearable activity trackers alone is unknown.

Objective:

To determine the association of wearable activity trackers with physical activity and health outcomes in patients with cancer.

Methods:

Data from 957 cancer survivors from the Health Information National Trends Survey – Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (HINTS-SEER) were analyzed. The outcome variables examined were: time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity, weekly frequency of strength training, body mass index, anxiety/depression levels, and self-assessed health status. The primary independent variable was whether cancer survivors had used wearable activity trackers within the past 12 months. Design-based linear regression for continuous outcome variables and ordinal logistic regression for ordinal outcome variables were conducted to determine the associations, after controlling for sociodemographic, cancer-related, and health-related factors. All data analyses accounted for the complex survey design and sample weights.

Results:

Only 29% of cancer survivors reported wearable activity tracker use. Bivariate analyses showed younger age, higher education, higher income, and employed status were significantly associated with wearable activity tracker use (P<.05). Wearable activity tracker use was significantly associated with higher time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity (adjusted =37.94, 95% CI:8.38, 67.5; P=.01), more frequent strength training per week (adjusted OR=1.50, 95% CI: 1.09, 2.06; P=.01), and better self-rated health status (adjusted OR=1.58, 95% CI:1.09, 2.29; P=.01), but not associated with body mass index or anxiety/depression.

Conclusions:

This study suggests that the uptake of wearable activity trackers is low and highlights the digital divide among patients with cancer. This study has confirmed the associations of wearable activity tracker use with physical activity and self-rated health, supporting using wearable activity trackers as a promising tool to facilitate physical activity promotion. Clinical Trial: N/A