A Randomized Two-Arm Proof of Concept Study Testing A Novel Approach to Exercise Promotion Based on Affect-regulation

NCT ID: NCT06258993

Last Updated: 2025-08-06

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

85 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2024-04-16

Study Completion Date

2026-04-01

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

The goal of this clinical trial is to test the effect of an affect-based exercise prescription on moderate-vigorous physical activity participation among survivors of breast cancer who completed primary treatment within the last 5 years. The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. Do at least 50% of participants assigned to the affect-based exercise prescription engage in ≥90 minutes of moderate-vigorous physical activity by the end of 12-weeks follow-up?
2. What level of satisfaction do breast cancer survivors who receive the affect-based exercise prescription report relative to breast cancer survivors who receive an effort-based exercise prescription.
3. What proportion of participants assigned to the affect-based exercise prescription stay enrolled in the study relative to the number of participants who stay enrolled in the effort-based exercise prescription.

All participants will:

* Be assigned to either the Affect-based exercise prescription or the Effort-based exercise prescription.
* Participate in two meetings with a member of the study team meant to help them get started increasing weekly exercise. These meetings are the same for all participants.
* Be asked to wear an activity monitor and respond to brief surveys for 10 straight days at 4 points in time: Baseline, 2weeks, 6weeks, and 12weeks.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Breast Cancer

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Affect-based Exercise Prescription (Affect-Rx)

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Core Exercise Promotion Program

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Core intervention content will be delivered during the Visit 1 and 1-Month-Check-in meetings. Definitions of exercise will be provided, participants will be asked to discuss their past experiences with exercise, guidelines for being safe during exercise will be reviewed, and strategies for overcoming potential barriers to exercise will be discussed. All participants will be given an exercise plan organized according to the FIIT Principle (Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type). The intensity component of the exercise plan will differ by study arm, all other elements will be delivered the same across both conditions. All participants will be given the goal of increasing weekly time spent exercising to ≥150 minutes, consistent with recommended guidelines. All participants will be given a smartwatch to support self-monitoring of exercise and activity levels throughout the 12-week study period.

Affect-based exercise prescription

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Participants assigned to Affect-Rx will receive instructions to "select a pace of exercise that makes you feel as good as possible." The exercise intensity prescription section of their exercise plan will include the Feeling Scale as an attachment and participants will be given the instruction to "stay in the green zone" on the Feeling Scale.

Effort-based Exercise Prescription (RPE-Rx)

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Core Exercise Promotion Program

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Core intervention content will be delivered during the Visit 1 and 1-Month-Check-in meetings. Definitions of exercise will be provided, participants will be asked to discuss their past experiences with exercise, guidelines for being safe during exercise will be reviewed, and strategies for overcoming potential barriers to exercise will be discussed. All participants will be given an exercise plan organized according to the FIIT Principle (Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type). The intensity component of the exercise plan will differ by study arm, all other elements will be delivered the same across both conditions. All participants will be given the goal of increasing weekly time spent exercising to ≥150 minutes, consistent with recommended guidelines. All participants will be given a smartwatch to support self-monitoring of exercise and activity levels throughout the 12-week study period.

Effort-based exercise prescription

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Participants assigned to RPE-Rx will receive instructions to "select a pace that would make it challenging for you to carry on more than a short conversation." The exercise intensity prescription section of their exercise plan will include the Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale as an attachment and participants will be given the instruction to "stay in the green zone" on the RPE Scale.

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Core Exercise Promotion Program

Core intervention content will be delivered during the Visit 1 and 1-Month-Check-in meetings. Definitions of exercise will be provided, participants will be asked to discuss their past experiences with exercise, guidelines for being safe during exercise will be reviewed, and strategies for overcoming potential barriers to exercise will be discussed. All participants will be given an exercise plan organized according to the FIIT Principle (Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type). The intensity component of the exercise plan will differ by study arm, all other elements will be delivered the same across both conditions. All participants will be given the goal of increasing weekly time spent exercising to ≥150 minutes, consistent with recommended guidelines. All participants will be given a smartwatch to support self-monitoring of exercise and activity levels throughout the 12-week study period.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Affect-based exercise prescription

Participants assigned to Affect-Rx will receive instructions to "select a pace of exercise that makes you feel as good as possible." The exercise intensity prescription section of their exercise plan will include the Feeling Scale as an attachment and participants will be given the instruction to "stay in the green zone" on the Feeling Scale.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Effort-based exercise prescription

Participants assigned to RPE-Rx will receive instructions to "select a pace that would make it challenging for you to carry on more than a short conversation." The exercise intensity prescription section of their exercise plan will include the Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale as an attachment and participants will be given the instruction to "stay in the green zone" on the RPE Scale.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* ≥18 years old
* Within 5 years of completing primary cancer treatment (surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation) for Stage 0-III breast cancer
* \<60 mins/week moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) with no major changes for the past 6- months
* Own an Android or iPhone smartphone (or tablet) and willing to use it to complete app-based surveys during assessment periods
* Willing to wear the ActiGraph monitor during assessment periods
* Access to internet to complete REDCap survey assessments

Exclusion Criteria

* Non-English speaking/not able to read English
* Evidence of major contraindications for exercise (informed by the 2020 Physical Activity Readiness-Questionnaire (PAR-Q)+)
* Currently pregnant
* History of severe mental illness or currently taking mood stabilizing medications (antipsychotics, anticonvulsants, or lithium)
* Evidence of moderate-severe depressive symptoms (indicated by a score≥ 10 on the Patient Health Questionnaire-8)
* Evidence of moderate-severe cognitive impairment (indicated by a score \< 3 on a 6-item cognitive screener)
* Evidence of clinically significant substance use as indicated by a score of ≥ 2 on the CAGE- AID screener.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Courtney J. Stevens

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Courtney J Stevens, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Dartmouth-Hitcock Health

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic

Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

United States

Central Contacts

Reach out to these primary contacts for questions about participation or study logistics.

Courtney J Stevens, PhD

Role: CONTACT

6036509643

Hollin R Hakimian, BA

Role: CONTACT

6036465479

Facility Contacts

Find local site contact details for specific facilities participating in the trial.

Courtney J Stevens, PhD

Role: primary

603-646-5451

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

K08CA259632

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

STUDY02000934_2

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

More Related Trials

Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.

Exercise in Breast Cancer Survivors
NCT04307407 COMPLETED NA