e-Poster Presentation Clinical Oncology Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting 2021

ReGenerate: The development of a health, wellbeing and survivorship app for adolescent and young adult cancer survivors (#259)

Andrew Murnane 1 2 , Jordan B Vincent 3 , Greg Bowtell 4 , Samantha Van Staalduinen 1 , Kate Thompson 1
  1. ONTrac at Peter Mac, Victorian Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Service, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  2. Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN) School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Faculty of Health Deakin University, Burwood, VIC, Australia
  3. Fika Entertainment, Deakin Research Innovations, Burwood, VIC, Australia
  4. School of Information Technology, Faculty of Science Engineering & Built Environment, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC, Australia

Introduction:

Adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors are reported to experience a range of poor outcomes including rates of obesity and physical morbidity, lower educational achievement, and higher rates of anxiety and depression. Digital health interventions are one approach to supporting young people’s long-term health and wellbeing whilst overcoming traditional barriers including their geographic mobility, relatively small numbers at single institutions, and lack of time and competing priorities. This project sought to develop and pilot an app that provides AYA-specific post-treatment education and tools to help support young people’s transition to life after cancer.
 

Method:

App development was undertaken as a partnership between AYA specialist clinical, academic and commercial creative entities. A co-design approach with young people was adopted, incorporating brainstorming, design sprint and collaborative content development activities. The result was nine educational modules each comprising interactive text, videos and youth-hosted podcasts, integrated with tools and features to support self-management.   

Results:

Useability, feasibility and acceptability of the app for Australian AYA cancer survivors aged 15-25 is currently being explored through a mixed methods pilot study (preliminary results to be presented at this conference) prior to national rollout. Further research focusing on refinement of the tools and features component of the app is under development and alternative modes of delivery such as progressive web apps or interactive websites are being explored to inform plans for future versions of ReGenerate.

Conclusion:

This app has been developed to help support the unmet information needs of AYA cancer survivors to promote long-term health and well-being. This study will showcase the process from concept design and development to finished product. Preliminary data will be presented on the usability, feasibility and acceptability of the app as a means to deliver information to AYA cancer survivors.