Study protocol - assessing parkrun for walking rehabilitation for people living with, and beyond, cancer: acceptability, adherence, social support and physical function

TL;DR

This study will test if parkrun events are a feasible and effective way for cancer survivors to improve their physical and mental health through walking.

Contribution

This is the first study to examine the long-term effects of parkrun as a cancer rehabilitation modality.

Findings

The study will assess acceptability and adherence to parkrun as a rehabilitation exercise for cancer survivors.

It will evaluate physical function, psychosocial outcomes, and dietary intake over a 9-month period.

Data will be collected at four time points to track changes in health and behavior.

Abstract

Due to a variety of barriers, the majority of cancer survivors do not do enough physical activity to meet current recommendations. This study will assess the feasibility of participation in parkrun walk-run events as a novel mode of community rehabilitation exercise.

This protocol describes a single-arm intervention study with participants acting as their own controls. The study accepts adults diagnosed with any type of cancer, undergoing treatment or in remission. Participants must be able to walk and have medical clearance to exercise. A sample of 100 participants will be recruited across the Sunshine Coast over two years. Data will be collected over 9-months at 4 time points: Baseline (T1); after 4-weeks of usual daily activities and cancer management prior to parkrun participation(T2); after a 6-month parkrun intervention (T3); at 2-month follow-up (T4). The primary objectives are to assess the acceptability of, and adherence to, parkrun as rehabilitation exercise. Secondary outcomes include wellness, health-related quality of life, anxiety, depression, mood, physical function, parkrun metrics, dietary intake, and diet and exercise behaviour.

This study will be the first to examine the long-term effects of parkrun as a cancer rehabilitation modality with regard to physical function, psychosocial outcomes and dietary intake.

Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12623000473662 registered 09/05/2023.Approved by UniSC Human Research Ethics Committee (A221828) and the UK parkrun Research Board. Original protocol. Authors SB, RB, HHW, MM, YK.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13102-024-00882-w.

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