Analysis of Metabolic and Quality-of-Life Factors in Patients With Cancer for a New Approach to Classifying Walking Habits: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: As the number of people diagnosed with cancer continues to increase, self-management has become crucial for patients recovering from cancer surgery or undergoing chemotherapy. Technology has emerged as a key tool in supporting self-management, particularly through interventions that promote physical activity, which is important for improving health outcomes and quality of life for patients with cancer. Despite the growing availability of digital tools that facilitate physical activity tracking, high-level evidence of their long-term effectiveness remains limited.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of long-term physical activity on patients with cancer by categorizing them into active and inactive groups based on step count time-series data using the mobile health intervention, the Walkon app (Swallaby Co, Ltd.).

Methods: Patients with cancer who had previously used the Walkon app in a previous randomized controlled trial were chosen for this study. Walking step count data were acquired from the app users. Biometric measurements, including BMI, waist circumference, blood sugar levels, and body composition, along with quality of life (QOL) questionnaire responses (European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions 5 Level version and Health-related Quality of Life Instrument with 8 Items), were collected during both the baseline and 6-month follow-up at an outpatient clinic. To analyze step count patterns over time, the concept of sample entropy was used for patient clustering, distinguishing between the active walking group (AWG) and the inactive walking group (IWG). Statistical analysis was performed using the Shapiro-Wilk test for normality, with paired t tests for parametric data, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests for nonparametric data, and chi-square tests for categorical variables.

Results: The proposed method effectively categorized the AWG (n=137) and IWG (n=75) based on step count trends, revealing significant differences in daily (4223 vs 5355), weekly (13,887 vs 40,247), and monthly (60,178 vs 174,405) step counts. Higher physical activity levels were observed in patients with breast cancer and younger individuals. In terms of biometric measurements, only waist circumference (P=.01) and visceral fat (P=.002) demonstrated a significant improvement exclusively within the AWG. Regarding QOL measurements, aspects such as energy (P=.01), work (P<.003), depression (P=.02), memory (P=.01), and happiness (P=.05) displayed significant improvements solely in the AWG.

Conclusions: This study introduces a novel methodology for categorizing patients with cancer based on physical activity using step count data. Although significant improvements were noted in the AWG, particularly in QOL and specific physical metrics, differences in 6-month change between the AWG and IWG were statistically insignificant. These findings highlight the potential of digital interventions in improving outcomes for patients with cancer, contributing valuable insights into cancer care and self-management.

Trial Registration: Clinical Research Information Service by Korea Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, Republic of Korea KCT0005447; https://tinyurl.com/3zc7zvzz.