Efficacy of Telehealth-Based Coaching to Improve Physical Activity and Overall Experience for Cancer Survivors: Secondary, Mixed Methods Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: Cancer survivors face significant challenges in maintaining adequate physical activity levels, which are essential for overall health and quality of life. Telehealth-based interventions offer promising opportunities to provide accessible support and promote healthier lifestyles throughout the cancer survivorship continuum. HealthScore is a telehealth coaching program designed to optimize the health of cancer survivors. OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the effectiveness of HealthScore in improving physical activity metrics among cancer survivors compared to controls. We also evaluated participants' qualitative experiences with the program to understand its impact on motivation, accountability, and overall health-related quality of life. METHODS: We performed a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled study of cancer survivors who participated in a comprehensive health coaching intervention called HealthScore. Participants in control and intervention groups received a Fitbit activity tracker that collected heart rate, step counts, active minutes, and calories burned. These metrics were analyzed using statistical methods to compare overall averages and temporal trends between intervention and control groups. Eleven exit interviews were conducted with intervention arm participants to ascertain their experiences with HealthScore. Inductive thematic analysis was performed to identify emerging themes. Data were collected between May 2020 and March 2022. RESULTS: Of the 32 participants enrolled, 20 (62%) were in the intervention group. Compared to the control group, intervention participants had significantly higher average daily steps (mean 3660, SD 3344; 95% CI 3557-3764 vs mean 3408, SD 3288; 95% CI 3299-3518; P=.001) and more moving average daily steps (mean 4813, SD 1723; 95% CI 4680-4946 vs mean 4581, SD 1224; 95% CI 4494-4669; P=.003). Moving average daily step counts in the intervention arm showed an increasing trend, which was significantly higher than that of the control group (regression slope=5.89 vs 2.80; P