Efficacy of health coaching and a web‐based program on physical activity, weight, and distress management among cancer survivors: A multi‐centered randomised controlled trial
Young Ho Yun, Cheol Il Lim, Eun Sook Lee, Young Tae Kim, Kyung Hwan Shin, Young‐Woo Kim, Kyu Joo Park, Seung‐Yong Jeong, Keun Won Ryu, Wonshik Han, Kyung Hae Jung, Sung Chan Park, Moon Soo Kim, Sung Hoon Kim, Young Mog Shim, Jae Hwan Oh, Jong Mog Lee, Seung‐Bum Ryoo, Joohyun Woo, Dong‐Young Noh, Ji Won Park, Byung-In Moon, Hak Jae Kim, Seok Jin Nam, Dae Ho Lee, Jae Il Zo, Sang Min Park, EunKyo Kang, YeEun Rhee, Ju Youn Jung, Jin-Ah Sim, Joonki Lee, Aesun Shin
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To investigate the efficacy of health coaching and a web-based program on survivor physical activity (PA), weight, and distress management among stomach, colon, lung and breast cancer patients. METHODS: This randomised, controlled, 1-year trial conducted in five hospitals recruited cancer survivors within 2 months of completing primary cancer treatment who had not met ≥1 of these behavioural goals: (i) conducting moderate PA for at least 150 minutes/week or strenuous exercise for over 75 minutes per week or, in the case of lung cancer patients, low or moderate intensity exercise for over 12.5 MET per week, (ii) maintaining normal weight, and (iii) attaining a score >72 in the Post Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI). Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: the control group, a web-only group, or a health coaching + web group. The primary endpoint was based on a composite of PA, weight, and PTGI score at 12 months. RESULTS: Patients in the health coaching + web group (difference = 6.6%, P = .010) and the web-only group (difference = 5.9%, P = .031) had greater overall improvements across the three-outcome composite than the control group. The health coaching + web group had greater overall improvement in PTGI (difference = 12.6%; P < .001) than the control group, but not in PA and weight. CONCLUSION: The web-based program, with or without health coaching, may improve health behaviours including PA, weight, and distress management among cancer survivors within 2 months of completing primary cancer treatment. The web-based program with health coaching was mainly effective for reducing psychological distress.