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Completed

NCT Number: NCT03223753

Web-Based Physical Activity Intervention in Improving Long Term Health in Children and Adolescents With Cancer

This randomized clinical phase III trial studies how well web-based physical activity intervention works in improving long term health in children and adolescents with cancer. Regular physical activity after receiving treatment for cancer may help to maintain a healthy weight and improve energy levels and overall health.

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Key information

Age range

8 year–16 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 3

Primary location

CancerCare Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

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About this study

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:

I. To compare the effects of a rewards-and web-based physical activity intervention that includes structured social interaction between participants to the same web-based physical activity intervention that does not include structured social interaction on fitness among children and adolescents following treatment for cancer.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To evaluate the effect of a rewards-based, socially interactive web-based physical activity intervention on markers of cardiometabolic health among children and adolescents following treatment for cancer (compared to the same web-based physical activity intervention without social interaction).

II. To evaluate the effect of a rewards-based, socially interactive, web-based physical activity intervention on physical activity, quality of life, fatigue, and school attendance among children and adolescents following treatment for cancer (compared to the same web-based physical activity intervention without social interaction).

III. To determine if the effect of a rewards-based, socially interactive, web-based physical activity intervention on markers of cardiometabolic health is mediated by changes in fitness among children and adolescents following treatment for cancer (compared to the same web-based physical activity intervention without social interaction).

OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 arms.

ARM I: Patients receive educational handouts about physical activity and are encouraged to increase physical activity to at least 420 minutes per week. Patients wear a physical activity tracking device daily and upload data at least once a week to the device app/website. Patients also access the limited version of the app/website to get basic information related to their physical activity. Patients will not be told of the details of earning of monetary incentives. Their activity will be monitored during the 6 month intervention period and will receive all earned gift cards or prizes after the intervention period ends. The patient will be encouraged to continue to wear the device for the remainder of the study, although they will no longer be earning monetary incentives.

ARM II: Patients receive educational handouts about physical activity and are encouraged to increase physical activity to at least 420 minutes per week. Patients wear a physical activity tracking device daily and upload data at least once a week to the device app/website. Patients also access the full version of the interactive-reward based device app/website to see their activity, earn activity points, see other's activity, and interact with other patients randomized to this study arm. Patients will receive additional details about how to earn gift cards or prizes for engaging in the intervention and will be rewarded for all earned incentives throughout the 6 month intervention period. The patient will be encouraged to continue to wear the device for the remainder of the study, although they will no longer be earning monetary incentives.

After completion of study, patients are followed up at 24 and 48 weeks.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • All cancer cases with an International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICD)-O histologic behavior code of two "2" (carcinoma in situ) or three "3" (malignant), in remission
  • Patient must have completed curative therapy (surgery and/or radiation and/or chemotherapy) within the past 12 months at a Childrens Oncology Group (COG) institution
  • Patients must have a performance status corresponding to Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) scores of 0, 1, or 2; use Lansky for patients =< 16 years of age
  • At the time of consent, patient or parent/guardian reports less than 420 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity over the last week
  • Patient and at least one parent/guardian are able to read and write English, Spanish, and/or French; at least 1 parent/guardian must be able to read and write English, Spanish, and/or French in order to assist the patient with using their physical activity tracking device account
  • All patients and/or their parents or legal guardians must sign a written informed consent
  • All institutional, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and National Cancer Institute (NCI) requirements for human studies must be met

Exclusion criteria

  • Patients with previous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT)
  • Patients with significant concurrent disease, illness, psychiatric disorder or social issue that would compromise patient safety or compliance with protocol therapy, or interfere with consent, study participation, follow up, or interpretation of study results
  • Female patients who are pregnant are not eligible; women of childbearing potential require a negative pregnancy test
  • Female patient who is postmenarcheal and has not agreed to use an effective contraceptive method (including abstinence) for the duration of study participation
  • Patients with a cognitive, motor, visual or auditory impairment that prevents computer use (e.g. unresolved posterior fossa syndrome) are not eligible

Treatment and study plan

Educational Intervention

Other

Receive educational handouts about to physical activity

Other names: Education for Intervention, Intervention by Education, Intervention through Education, Intervention, Educational

Internet-Based Intervention

Other

Access limited version of device app/website

laboratory biomarker analysis

Other

Correlative studies

Medical Device Usage and Evaluation

Device

Wear physical activity tracking device

Quality-of-Life Assessment

Other

Ancillary studies

Other names: Quality of Life Assessment

Questionnaire Administration

Other

Ancillary studies

Primary outcomes

  1. Physiologic Cost Index (PCI)

    Time frame: Baseline and 24 weeks

    PCI is calculated in beats per meter from the average heart rate during the walking test minus the resting heart rate divided by meters walked per minute. Differences in PCI will be compared between groups at 24 weeks, the end of the intervention. Intent to treat analysis of variance (either transforming the data or employing a non-parametric equivalent if the data are not normally distributed) controlling for the stratification factors (sex, age, and treatment related risk group) will be used for comparison. General linear mixed models will be utilized to evaluate the effects of group assignment on changes in PCI over time to account for repeated measures on individual children, and for potential random effects such as original treating institution. Changes from baseline will be estimated as differences between model-based least squares means at specified time points (e.g., 24 weeks minus baseline) derived from the mixed model.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in Markers of Cardiometabolic Health

    Time frame: Baseline up to 48 weeks post intervention

    Markers of Cardiometabolic health include blood pressure, body mass index, waist to height ration, fasting insulin, glucose, and lipid levels. Differences in these markers between randomized groups and the effects of group assignment on changes over time will be evaluated.

  2. Change in Inflammation

    Time frame: Baseline up to 48 weeks post intervention

    Markers of an Inflammatory state include High sensitivity C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha. Differences in these markers between groups and the effects of group assignment on changes over time will be evaluated.

  3. Change in Quality of Life

    Time frame: Baseline up to 48 weeks post intervention

    Will be assessed using Pediatric Quality of Life (PedsQL) 4.0 Generic Core Scale. The 23-item PedsQL Generic Core Scales were designed to measure the core dimensions of health as delineated by the World Health Organization, as well as role (school) functioning. Scores range from 0-100, higher is better. There are four scales (Physical Functioning, Emotional Functioning, Social Functioning, and School Functioning). Emotional, Social and School Functioning can be combined to create a psychosocial summary (summed and divided by total number of items). Differences between groups and the effects of group assignment on changes over time will be evaluated.

  4. Change in Fatigue

    Time frame: Baseline up to 48 weeks post intervention

    Will be assessed using Pediatric Quality of Life Multidimensional Fatigue Scale. The PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale was designed as a generic symptom-specific instrument to measure fatigue in patients with acute and chronic health conditions as well as healthy school and community populations. It has three dimensions, general fatigue, sleep/rest fatigue and cognitive fatigue. Scores range from 0-100 and items are summed and divided by the total to get the mean. Differences between groups and the effects of group assignment on changes over time will be evaluated.

  5. Change in School Attendance

    Time frame: Baseline up to 48 weeks post intervention

    Will be assessed using parent report. Differences between groups and the effects of group assignment on changes over time will be evaluated.

  6. Markers of Cardiometabolic Health

    Time frame: Up to 48 weeks post intervention

    Markers of cardiometabolic health include blood pressure, body mass index, waist to height ration, fasting insulin, glucose, and lipid levels. It will be determined if the effect of an interactive web-based physical activity intervention on markers of cardiometabolic health is mediated by changes in fitness among children and adolescents following treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. A causal inference approach will evaluate whether group assignment results in an improved outcome in the presence of a lower PCI. This requires decomposing the averaged total effect into indirect and direct effects of group assignment of on the cardiometabolic outcomes. A principal stratification method will be used that classifies participants into strata based on their performance on the PCI (mediator variable) for each group of the randomized intervention. Mediation analyses would then be based on intent-to-treat effects of group assignment on cardiometabolic health outcome within each strata.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Children's Oncology Group

Network

Collaborators

  • National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Registry information

Official study title

A Randomized Web-Based Physical Activity Intervention Among Children and Adolescents With Cancer

Important dates

Study start
2017
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2026
First posted
Jul 21, 2017
Registry last updated
Jul 24, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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