Research Project #2

NIH RePORTER · CA · U54 · $338,999 · view on reporter.nih.gov ↗

Abstract

Quality of life problems and functional deficits after cancer diagnosis are particularly acute. Physical activity has been shown to remediate many problems experienced by survivors and has been shown to reduce fatigue and psychological distress and improve physical functioning and quality of life. Observational data indicate that survivors who are more physically active have lower cancer-related mortality. Yet most cancer survivors do not exercise at recommended levels, and little is known about how to increase physical activity among cancer survivors in neighborhoods that lack resources for physical activity, e.g. lack of facilities for leisure-time physical activity, few/poor quality sidewalks and parks, and concerns about neighborhood safety. Active Living After Cancer (ALAC) is an evidence-based physical activity program, adapted for cancer survivors, that teaches participants behavioral and cognitive skills to increase physical activity. However, it is focused primarily on individual behavior change. The proposed project will incorporate community-level interventions into the ALAC program before implementing it in Acres Homes, a community in Houston, Texas. We propose to leverage Be Well Acres Homes, a place-based cancer prevention initiative, to develop a multi-level intervention using health promotion interweaving. The community resources and programs developed in Be Well Acres Homes will enable connection/navigation to resources as participants develop the skills for increasing their physical activity and will foster sustainable community supports beyond the completion of participation in the ALAC program. The adaptations in ALAC will interweave the intervention with the informational environment (through enhanced communication strategies to recruit potential participants and exposure to cancer prevention educational messages provided by Be Well Acres Homes), social/cultural/organizational environment (creating a network of cancer survivors in a single neigh

Key facts

NIH application ID
11362118
Project number
5U54CA280804-04
Recipient
UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR
Principal Investigator
KAREN M BASEN-ENGQUIST
Activity code
U54
Funding institute
CA
Fiscal year
2026
Award amount
$338,999
Award type
5
Project period
2023-06-15T00:00:00 → 2028-04-30T00:00:00