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Examining the accessibility of high-quality physical activity behaviour change support freely available online for men with prostate cancer

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Abstract

Background

While the internet is considered a promising avenue for providing physical activity support to prostate cancer survivors, little is known about the accessibility of quality websites in the real world.

Purpose

This work aimed to explore what websites prostate cancer survivors are likely to find when seeking physical activity support online and to evaluate their quality using evidenced-based criteria.

Method

A search strategy was developed in consultation with prostate cancer survivors (n = 44) to reflect the most common ways they are likely to search the internet. The search was then conducted by a single reviewer, and identified websites were assessed for quality by two reviewers using an evidence-based quality assessment tool developed for this study. Discrepancies were resolved by a third reviewer.

Results

Of the 45 identified websites, 13 (29%) received a high quality rating, 22 (49%) received a moderate rating and 10 (22%) received a low quality rating. Higher-quality websites tended to have a .org or .gov domain and tended to be located using searches specific to prostate cancer or prostate cancer and exercise. Very few websites contained complete information regarding the physical activity guidelines for cancer survivors, and no websites provided comprehensive behaviour change support.

Conclusion

There are some good-quality physical activity websites accessible to men with prostate cancer. However, they may be difficult to find and/or require updating to include complete recommendations and more behaviour change support.

Implications for cancer survivors

Efforts to improve physical activity information online and strategies to direct prostate cancer survivors to higher-quality websites and support services are needed to ensure safety and efficacy.

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Acknowledgements

CES, CG and MM were supported by the Freemasons Foundation Centre for Men’s health to conduct this research. CES was also supported by an Early Career Researcher Fellowship (ID 1090517) from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. LB was supported by a PROMOS scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service. In addition to this financial support, the authors would like to acknowledge Dr. Henry Woo (Associate Professor of Surgery at Sydney Adventist Hospital Clinical School, University of Sydney), the Pathfinder registry and staff, the Freemasons Foundation Centre for Men’s Health and Cancer Council South Australia for their assistance in recruiting participants. Finally, we thank greatly the prostate cancer survivors that volunteered their time to complete the online survey.

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Correspondence to Camille E. Short.

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Short, C.E., Gelder, C., Binnewerg, L. et al. Examining the accessibility of high-quality physical activity behaviour change support freely available online for men with prostate cancer. J Cancer Surviv 12, 10–17 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-017-0638-8

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