Preliminary Effectiveness of a Telehealth-Delivered Exercise Program in Older Adults Living With and Beyond Cancer: Retrospective Study

Abstract BackgroundExercise can attenuate the deleterious combined effects of cancer treatment and aging among older adults with cancer, yet exercise participation is low. Telehealth exercise may improve exercise engagement by decreasing time and transportation barriers; howev...

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Main Authors: Emily R Dunston, Sonal Oza, Yang Bai, Maria Newton, Leslie Podlog, Kish Larson, Darren Walker, Rebecca W Zingg, Pamela A Hansen, Adriana M Coletta
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: JMIR Publications 2025-01-01
Series:JMIR Cancer
Online Access:https://cancer.jmir.org/2025/1/e56718
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author Emily R Dunston
Sonal Oza
Yang Bai
Maria Newton
Leslie Podlog
Kish Larson
Darren Walker
Rebecca W Zingg
Pamela A Hansen
Adriana M Coletta
author_facet Emily R Dunston
Sonal Oza
Yang Bai
Maria Newton
Leslie Podlog
Kish Larson
Darren Walker
Rebecca W Zingg
Pamela A Hansen
Adriana M Coletta
author_sort Emily R Dunston
collection DOAJ
description Abstract BackgroundExercise can attenuate the deleterious combined effects of cancer treatment and aging among older adults with cancer, yet exercise participation is low. Telehealth exercise may improve exercise engagement by decreasing time and transportation barriers; however, the utility of telehealth exercise among older adults with cancer is not well established. ObjectiveWe aimed to evaluate the preliminary effectiveness of a one-on-one, supervised telehealth exercise program on physical function, muscular endurance, balance, and flexibility among older adults with cancer. MethodsIn this retrospective study, we analyzed electronic health record data collected from the Personal Optimism With Exercise Recovery clinical exercise program delivered via telehealth among older adults with cancer (≥65 y) who completed a virtual initial program telehealth assessment between March 2020 and December 2021. The virtual initial assessment included the following measures: 30-second chair stand test, 30-second maximum push-up test, 2-minute standing march, single leg stance, plank, chair sit and reach, shoulder range of motion, and the clock test. All baseline measures were repeated after 12-weeks of telehealth exercise. Change scores were calculated for all assessments and compared to minimal clinically important difference (MCID) values for assessments with published MCIDs. Paired samples t ResultsOlder adults with cancer who chose to participate in the telehealth exercise program (N=68) were 71.8 (SD 5.3) years of age on average (range 65‐92 y). The 3 most common cancer types in this sample were breast (n=13), prostate (n=13), and multiple myeloma (n=8). All cancer stages were represented in this sample with stage II (n=16, 23.5%) and III (n=18, 26.5%) being the most common. A follow-up telehealth assessment was completed by 29.4% (n=20) of older adults with cancer. Among those who completed a follow-up telehealth assessment, there were significant increases in the 30-second chair stand (n=19; mean change +2.00 repetitions, 95% CI 0.12 to 3.88) and 30-second maximum push-up scores (n=20; mean change +2.85 repetitions, 95% CI 1.60 to 4.11). There were no significant differences for the 2-minute standing march, plank, single leg stance, sit and reach, shoulder mobility, or clock test (P ConclusionsOur findings suggest a one-on-one, supervised telehealth exercise program may positively influence measures of physical function, muscular endurance, balance, and flexibility among older adults with cancer, but more adequately powered trials are needed to confirm these findings.
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spelling doaj-art-204d26ee2f464752a6175df7f813fa292025-01-20T23:00:52ZengJMIR PublicationsJMIR Cancer2369-19992025-01-0111e56718e5671810.2196/56718Preliminary Effectiveness of a Telehealth-Delivered Exercise Program in Older Adults Living With and Beyond Cancer: Retrospective StudyEmily R Dunstonhttp://orcid.org/0000-0003-2482-0962Sonal OzaYang Baihttp://orcid.org/0000-0001-6751-3896Maria Newtonhttp://orcid.org/0000-0003-4418-0958Leslie Podloghttp://orcid.org/0000-0001-5012-9118Kish LarsonDarren WalkerRebecca W Zingghttp://orcid.org/0009-0008-7635-1647Pamela A HansenAdriana M Colettahttp://orcid.org/0000-0002-2503-2792 Abstract BackgroundExercise can attenuate the deleterious combined effects of cancer treatment and aging among older adults with cancer, yet exercise participation is low. Telehealth exercise may improve exercise engagement by decreasing time and transportation barriers; however, the utility of telehealth exercise among older adults with cancer is not well established. ObjectiveWe aimed to evaluate the preliminary effectiveness of a one-on-one, supervised telehealth exercise program on physical function, muscular endurance, balance, and flexibility among older adults with cancer. MethodsIn this retrospective study, we analyzed electronic health record data collected from the Personal Optimism With Exercise Recovery clinical exercise program delivered via telehealth among older adults with cancer (≥65 y) who completed a virtual initial program telehealth assessment between March 2020 and December 2021. The virtual initial assessment included the following measures: 30-second chair stand test, 30-second maximum push-up test, 2-minute standing march, single leg stance, plank, chair sit and reach, shoulder range of motion, and the clock test. All baseline measures were repeated after 12-weeks of telehealth exercise. Change scores were calculated for all assessments and compared to minimal clinically important difference (MCID) values for assessments with published MCIDs. Paired samples t ResultsOlder adults with cancer who chose to participate in the telehealth exercise program (N=68) were 71.8 (SD 5.3) years of age on average (range 65‐92 y). The 3 most common cancer types in this sample were breast (n=13), prostate (n=13), and multiple myeloma (n=8). All cancer stages were represented in this sample with stage II (n=16, 23.5%) and III (n=18, 26.5%) being the most common. A follow-up telehealth assessment was completed by 29.4% (n=20) of older adults with cancer. Among those who completed a follow-up telehealth assessment, there were significant increases in the 30-second chair stand (n=19; mean change +2.00 repetitions, 95% CI 0.12 to 3.88) and 30-second maximum push-up scores (n=20; mean change +2.85 repetitions, 95% CI 1.60 to 4.11). There were no significant differences for the 2-minute standing march, plank, single leg stance, sit and reach, shoulder mobility, or clock test (P ConclusionsOur findings suggest a one-on-one, supervised telehealth exercise program may positively influence measures of physical function, muscular endurance, balance, and flexibility among older adults with cancer, but more adequately powered trials are needed to confirm these findings.https://cancer.jmir.org/2025/1/e56718
spellingShingle Emily R Dunston
Sonal Oza
Yang Bai
Maria Newton
Leslie Podlog
Kish Larson
Darren Walker
Rebecca W Zingg
Pamela A Hansen
Adriana M Coletta
Preliminary Effectiveness of a Telehealth-Delivered Exercise Program in Older Adults Living With and Beyond Cancer: Retrospective Study
JMIR Cancer
title Preliminary Effectiveness of a Telehealth-Delivered Exercise Program in Older Adults Living With and Beyond Cancer: Retrospective Study
title_full Preliminary Effectiveness of a Telehealth-Delivered Exercise Program in Older Adults Living With and Beyond Cancer: Retrospective Study
title_fullStr Preliminary Effectiveness of a Telehealth-Delivered Exercise Program in Older Adults Living With and Beyond Cancer: Retrospective Study
title_full_unstemmed Preliminary Effectiveness of a Telehealth-Delivered Exercise Program in Older Adults Living With and Beyond Cancer: Retrospective Study
title_short Preliminary Effectiveness of a Telehealth-Delivered Exercise Program in Older Adults Living With and Beyond Cancer: Retrospective Study
title_sort preliminary effectiveness of a telehealth delivered exercise program in older adults living with and beyond cancer retrospective study
url https://cancer.jmir.org/2025/1/e56718
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