Supporting cancer survivors to stand up, sit less and move more

All participants will attend a 4-week exercise clinic for cancer surivors. Participation in the exercise clinic is optional for people with a previous diagnosis of cancer. Participants will be prescribed 1 h, individualized, supervised exercise sessions once weekly for 4 weeks. Participants will be encouraged to increase their physical activity levels outside of the exercise sessions. All testing and training sessions will be conducted in the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences Gymnasium. Participants are individually supervised (see below) in groups of up to 10 participants. Participants will complete sessions prescribed by final year clinical exercise physiology students in a 2:1 student:participant ratio supervised by Accredited Exercise Physiologists in a 1:2 AEP:participant ratio. The exercise program will be individualized to address participant goals, preferences, medical history and initial assessment results. Each 1 h session included: low intensity aerobic warm-up (5–10 min); four to six progressive upper and lower body resistance exercises of 10–12RM (targeting the chest, biceps, triceps, quadriceps, hamstrings and latissimus dorsi muscle groups) using machine, free weights and/or resistance bands; balance activities; low intensity aerobic cool down (5–10 min); static muscle stretching activities; and education on the benefits of exercise for health. Resistance load was increased by 5–10 percent when participants exceeded the prescribed RM. Accredited exercise physiologists will record attendance and any adverse (i.e. any untoward medical occurrence occurring during the exercise sessions), or serious adverse events (i.e. adverse events that are still ongoing at the end of the study period). In addition to participating in the 4-week exercise clinic, half of the participants will be randomly allocated to receive a text messaging intervention that will commence at the same time as the clinic. The 3-month intervention consists of a suite of text messages tailored through coaching sessions that draw on participants' activity data. Participants receive a minimum of 4 text messages per fortnight that will target: reducing overall sedentary time, breaking up prolonged periods (30 mins+) of sedentary time with light intensity activities (including standing), and increasing MVPA. The text messaging intervention will begin with a face-to-face, one-on-one coaching session (approx. 30 minutes duration conducted at the university) to: 1) orientate the participant to the ‘whole-of-day’ approach; and, 2) collect information to tailor the text message content and timing. Participants’ baseline activity data will be used by the coach to guide participants to identify goals and strategies for changing their daily activities. Following the initial coaching session, each intervention participant will be sent a minimum of four tailored text messages per fortnight for the 12-week period, with more frequent texts able to be provided at the request of the participant. The text messages will target: 1) education (overall and prolonged sitting and MVPA); 2) real time prompting (prolonged sitting and MVPA); and, 3) goal checking (MVPA). Intervention participants will engage in another face-to-face coaching session after the 4-week Exercise Clinic (approx. 30 minutes duration) to update their preferences for text message content and timing. All coaching sessions will be conducted by a qualified health professional (e.g. Exercise Physiologist/Physiotherapist). Attendance at coaching sessions will be recorded. The participants are not required to wear any monitoring devices throughout the intervention other than that described in the outcome measures.