Speaker
Description
Background: LION is a multinational randomized controlled trial (RCT) investigating the effects of a live-remote exercise program in individuals who self-report fatigue, emotional distress, low physical functioning, and/or neuropathy after curative cancer treatment. The 12-week program consists of resistance and aerobic training (2x/week) and sessions targeting the participant’s most burdensome side effect (1x/week; which may include yoga-based, relaxation, balance, agility and/or hand exercises). As live-remote training is not yet widely implemented in oncology, an evaluation study was conducted to inform the development of educational materials and recommendations that support its safe delivery.
Methods: All trainers involved in the LION-RCT were invited to complete an online questionnaire assessing their experiences with supervising participants in this program.
Results: Twenty-three of 25 LION trainers completed the survey. They had a median of 6.5 years of professional experience and 2.8 years in oncology. At the time of analysis, more than 1700 LION-training sessions had been delivered. Overall, trainers rated IT-related implementation as manageable for both participants (mean±SD, 3.22±1.18) and themselves (3.61±0.97; 1=with a lot of difficulty, 5=very easily). Trainers found the resistance, yoga-based, balance, and hand exercises easy to deliver live-remotely (means≥4.10), whereas aerobic training (3.43±1.08) and agility training (3.12±1.22) were more difficult but still feasible. Challenges in monitoring training stimulus (2.65±0.81), adjusting intensity (2.48±0.93), and correcting posture (2.61±0.87) occurred occasionally (1=never, 5=very often). Most exercise components were considered equally or more effective when delivered live-remotely compared to in-person training. However, 52% and 71%, respectively, believed live-remote resistance training and agility training to be less effective. Additional insights into perceived barriers and strengths of live-remote exercise programs will be presented at the conference.
Discussion: Live-remote exercise delivery is well accepted by the trainers in the LION-RCT. However, aerobic and agility training seem more difficult to implement in a live-remote format and need further attention.
Keywords
cancer; treatment-related side effects; supervised live-remote exercise; trainer’s perspective
| Abstract submitters declaration | yes |
|---|---|
| Conflict of Interest & Ethical Approval | yes |
