Behaviorally Designed Gamification and Physical Activity Among Breast and Prostate Cancer Survivors.

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular health in oncology
• Behavioral interventions
• Health disparities in cancer survivorship

Background:

• Black and Hispanic cancer survivors face higher cardiovascular event risks post-treatment compared to non-Hispanic White survivors.
• This disparity is linked to greater cardiovascular risk factors and lower physical activity levels in minority populations.
• Cardiotoxic therapies used in cancer treatment exacerbate these risks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a remotely delivered, gamified intervention on physical activity levels.
• To compare the gamification intervention against an attention control group.
• To assess the intervention's effect on Black and Hispanic cancer survivors with existing cardiovascular risk factors.

Main Methods:

• A randomized clinical trial enrolled Black and Hispanic cancer survivors with cardiovascular risk factors who received cardiotoxic therapy.
• Participants were assigned to either an attention control group (n=76) or a gamification group (n=74) for a 24-week intervention period.
• Physical activity was monitored using wearable devices measuring daily steps, with the primary outcome being the change in mean daily steps.

Main Results:

• The gamification group showed a significantly greater increase in mean daily steps compared to the control group during both the intervention and follow-up periods.
• Participants in the gamification arm also experienced a significant increase in weekly minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.
• The study included a mean participant age of 64 years, with 81% women, 64% Black, and 35% Hispanic participants.

Conclusions:

• Gamification effectively increased physical activity in Black and Hispanic cancer survivors compared to standard care.
• This intervention presents a scalable strategy for mitigating cardiovascular risk in a high-risk cancer survivor population.
• Further research can explore long-term adherence and broader implementation of gamified health interventions.