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24-HOUR ACTIVITY BEHAVIORS AMONG CANCER SURVIVORS DURING AND FOLLOWING COVID-19

Abstract

Graceanne Boone, Lauren C. Bates-Fraser, Lee Stoner, FACSM, Erik D. Hanson, FACSM. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 caused widespread social restrictions in an attempt to mitigate transmission. These restrictions impacted 24-hour activity behaviors (24-AB), including moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), sedentary behavior (SB), and sleep. The objective of this study was to determine change in 24-AB from during- (2020) to post- (2021 and 2022) pandemic among breast- (BC) and mixed type-cancer survivors. METHODS: From 2020-2022, we recruited a U.S. nationwide convenience sample of 46 BC (52 ± 21, 87% non-Hispanic, 78% white) and 238 mixed type cancer survivors (45 ± 18, 81% non-Hispanic, 76% white). Participants self-reported weekday SB (WD-SB), weekend SB (WE-SB), MVPA, and sleep in hours (hr.) or minutes (min) per day. A repeated measures ANOVA was used to determine the time effect and to compare 24-AB between BC and mixed type cancer survivors. Significance was set at p=0.05 and mean differences are reported. RESULTS: Overall, when comparing 24-AB by year between BC and mixed type cancer survivors, there were statistically significant differences in WD-SB, WE-SB, MVPA, and sleep (all p <0.001). From 2020 to 2022, WD-SB (5.1 ± 18.3 hr.) and WE-SB (4.2 ± 16.8 hr.) decreased while MVPA (144 ± 269 min) and sleep (0.4 ±1.4 hr.) increased in BC and mixed type cancer survivors with no group differences. CONCLUSION: Among cancer survivors, 24-AB have improved from 2020 to 2022 with reduction in WD-SB and WE-SB and increases in MVPA and sleep. Furthermore, there were no significant differences in 24-hour activity behaviors in BC compared to mixed type cancer survivors. Further research is needed to confirm these data with objective accelerometry data. However, cancer survivors would benefit from continued improvements in 24-AB especially targeting the high amounts of WD-SB and WE-SB. Interventions targeting 24-AB should also be robust enough to withstand potential future pandemics and associated social restrictions or at least consider alternative approaches such as virtual delivery to avoid the significantly worse 24-AB reported in 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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