A Community-Engaged Approach to Developing a Mobile Cancer Prevention App: The mCPA Study Protocol

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Behavioral Science
• Cancer Prevention

Background:

• Mobile technologies have led to many lifestyle apps, but few are theory-based or community-developed.
• A significant gap exists in evidence-based, culturally relevant mobile health interventions for cancer prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop content for the Mobile Cancer Prevention App (mCPA) using a community-based participatory research approach.
• To incorporate survivor-informed feedback into a theory-based, culturally tailored mobile application for cancer prevention.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 12 breast cancer survivors (Stages I-IIIc, <1 year post-treatment, ≤75 years old).
• Engaged survivors in sessions including didactic instructions, guided discussions, cooking demonstrations, and physical activity workshops (walking, yoga, strength training).
• Utilized qualitative (focus groups, interviews) and quantitative (sensory evaluation) methods to assess the participatory process and outcomes.

Main Results:

• Anticipated development of an acceptable, feasible, and accessible mobile app.
• The Mobile Cancer Prevention App (mCPA) is expected to be ready for intervention testing in early 2017.

Conclusions:

• mCPA development is a crucial step towards evidence-based digital health interventions.
• Future mCPA testing will expand to multiple cities, contingent on research funding.