TY - JOUR
T1 - Supporting breast cancer survivors via text messages: reach, acceptability, and utility of EMPOWER-SMS
AU - Singleton, Anna C
AU - Raeside, Rebecca
AU - Partridge, Stephanie R
AU - Tat-Ko, Justin
AU - Che Mun Sum, Stephanie
AU - Hyun, Karice K
AU - Hayes, Molly
AU - Chow, Clara K
AU - Thiagalingam, Aravinda
AU - Maka, Katherine
AU - Sherman, Kerry A
AU - Elder, Elisabeth
AU - Redfern, Julie
N1 - © 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
PY - 2022/12
Y1 - 2022/12
N2 - PURPOSE: This study aims to evaluate the reach, usefulness, acceptability, and factors influencing engagement with a lifestyle-focused text message intervention to support women's mental and physical health after breast cancer treatment.METHODS: This study uses a mixed-methods process evaluation nested in the EMPOWER-SMS randomised controlled trial (n = 160; intervention n = 80, wait-list control n = 80). Data sources included screening logs, text message delivery software analytics, intervention feedback survey, and focus groups (n = 16), which were summarised thematically based on the framework approach.RESULTS: A total of 387 women met the inclusion criteria (mean
age ± SD = 59.3 ± 11.6 years). Participants who declined (n = 227) were significantly older than those who enrolled (n = 160; 62.2 ± 11.1 vs 55.1 ± 11.1 years, respectively, p < 0.001). Most intervention participants (64/80; 80%) completed the end-of-study survey, reporting the messages were easy to understand (64/64; 100%), useful (58/64; 91%), and motivating (43/64; 67%). The focus groups (n = 16) revealed five factors influencing engagement: (i) feelings of support/continued care, (ii) convenience/flexibility of message delivery, (iii) weblinks, (iv) information from a credible source, and (v) options to save or share messages.
CONCLUSION: A lifestyle-focused text message program was acceptable and useful for women after breast cancer treatment. However, text messaging may be a barrier for women aged over 68 years. Suggestions for program improvements included delivering the program to patients with other cancers, during all stages of treatment, and including more weblinks in text messages. Implications for Cancer Survivors Text message programs offer a low-cost way to deliver post-treatment health support to breast cancer survivors in a non-invasive way. Text messages can improve patient-health professional communication and were found to be acceptable and useful.
AB - PURPOSE: This study aims to evaluate the reach, usefulness, acceptability, and factors influencing engagement with a lifestyle-focused text message intervention to support women's mental and physical health after breast cancer treatment.METHODS: This study uses a mixed-methods process evaluation nested in the EMPOWER-SMS randomised controlled trial (n = 160; intervention n = 80, wait-list control n = 80). Data sources included screening logs, text message delivery software analytics, intervention feedback survey, and focus groups (n = 16), which were summarised thematically based on the framework approach.RESULTS: A total of 387 women met the inclusion criteria (mean
age ± SD = 59.3 ± 11.6 years). Participants who declined (n = 227) were significantly older than those who enrolled (n = 160; 62.2 ± 11.1 vs 55.1 ± 11.1 years, respectively, p < 0.001). Most intervention participants (64/80; 80%) completed the end-of-study survey, reporting the messages were easy to understand (64/64; 100%), useful (58/64; 91%), and motivating (43/64; 67%). The focus groups (n = 16) revealed five factors influencing engagement: (i) feelings of support/continued care, (ii) convenience/flexibility of message delivery, (iii) weblinks, (iv) information from a credible source, and (v) options to save or share messages.
CONCLUSION: A lifestyle-focused text message program was acceptable and useful for women after breast cancer treatment. However, text messaging may be a barrier for women aged over 68 years. Suggestions for program improvements included delivering the program to patients with other cancers, during all stages of treatment, and including more weblinks in text messages. Implications for Cancer Survivors Text message programs offer a low-cost way to deliver post-treatment health support to breast cancer survivors in a non-invasive way. Text messages can improve patient-health professional communication and were found to be acceptable and useful.
U2 - 10.1007/s11764-021-01106-7
DO - 10.1007/s11764-021-01106-7
M3 - Article
C2 - 34505206
SN - 1932-2259
VL - 16
SP - 1165
EP - 1175
JO - Journal of Cancer Survivorship
JF - Journal of Cancer Survivorship
IS - 6
ER -
