Active Living After Cancer: Implementation Within Be Well Acres Homes

The goal of this research study is to learn more about a physical activity program adapted for cancer survivors.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Cancer; Fatigue
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Physical Activity/Physical Functioning; Behavioral: Quality of Life

Detailed Description

Primary Objectives:

Evaluate the effectiveness of ALAC adapted for delivery in Acres Homes, using a randomized wait- list-control group design. The primary outcome will be physical functioning as measured by the 30- second sit-to-stand test at 12 weeks. Secondary outcomes will include physical functioning measured by the six-minute walk, objective and self-reported physical activity, social connectedness, and quality of life. The investigators will also investigate whether program effects are maintained at 6 months. Hypothesis: Cancer survivors in the adapted ALAC program will increase their physical activity and improve their physical functioning from baseline to the end-of-intervention assessment, compared to a wait-list-control group.

Compare the reach of the ALAC program in Acres Homes to ALAC in other persistent poverty neighborhoods in Houston. Hypothesis: The Acres Homes adaptation of ALAC will have a greater reach (percent of cancer survivors enrolling in ALAC in a specific neighborhood) than in other persistent poverty neighborhoods in Houston.

Explore the moderating effects of social and environmental variables on program effectiveness. Hypothesis 3A:Participants' financial distress, experiences of discrimination, health literacy, and social connectedness will influence the effect of the ALAC intervention on participants' physical activity, physical functioning, and program engagement. Hypothesis 3B: Neighborhood characteristics, like walkability, crime rate, air quality, access to green space, and neighborhood social vulnerability, will be related to the effectiveness of the ALAC program in terms of enrollment and health outcomes.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 164
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Karen Basen-Engquist, BA,MPH,PHD; Phone Number: (713) 745-3123; Email: kbasenen@mdanderson.org

Study Locations

• United States
  • Texas
    • Houston, Texas, United States, 77090
      • Recruiting
      • The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
      • Contact: Karen Basen-Engquist, BA,MPH,PHD; Phone Number: 713-745-3123; Email: kbasenen@mdanderson.org
      • Principal Investigator: Karen Basen-Engquist, BA,MPH,PHD

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Past diagnosis of invasive cancer, or a caregiver (family or friend) of a participating survivor.
2. No longer receiving treatment for cancer (except hormone therapy or long-term maintenance chemotherapy).
3. Over the age of 18.
4. Screen negative for contraindicating health problems on the adapted Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q),79 or screened positive but have approval from a health care provider to participate.
5. Lives in the Acres Homes neighborhood of Houston, Texas or has a home zip code of 77088 or 77091.
6. Able to provide informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Women who are pregnant (as indicated by self-report).
2. Has participated in the ALAC program within the past year and attended more than 2 group sessions.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Intervention; Receives the ALAC intervention following the baseline assessment	Behavioral: Physical Activity/Physical Functioning; The physical activity portion of the program sessions focuses on teaching cognitive and behavioral skills to increase physical activity, including goalsetting, self-monitoring, overcoming barriers to physical activity, enlisting social support, and how to handle "high risk" situations that may result in relapses to a sedentary lifestyle. The health educator teaches participants about various forms of moderate intensity activity and has them practice brief bouts of activity of various types to ensure that they are doing the activities safely and correctly. Each week participants receive a handout to provide information about the behavioral skill taught that week. The program also provides activity trackers (week 1) and resistance bands (week 5). The pedometer assists participants in self-monitoring their activity, and the resistance bands provide a form of home-based exercise that participants can do even with limited space.; Behavioral: Quality of Life; The survivorship portion of the program features a guided discussion on a different topic each session. The goals of the discussion are to present information about the topic, answer participants' questions about the topic, encourage participants to share solutions and ideas relevant to the topic with each other, and provide information on community resources participants can access if they require additional help. The health educator makes a brief presentation about the topic, answers questions, and then asks a series of 2-3 open-ended questions to facilitate discussion about the topic. At the end of the session, the health educator navigates participants who need additional information or service related to the topic to resources in the community.
Active Comparator: Waitlist Control; Receives the ALAC intervention following the 3-month assessment	Behavioral: Physical Activity/Physical Functioning; The physical activity portion of the program sessions focuses on teaching cognitive and behavioral skills to increase physical activity, including goalsetting, self-monitoring, overcoming barriers to physical activity, enlisting social support, and how to handle "high risk" situations that may result in relapses to a sedentary lifestyle. The health educator teaches participants about various forms of moderate intensity activity and has them practice brief bouts of activity of various types to ensure that they are doing the activities safely and correctly. Each week participants receive a handout to provide information about the behavioral skill taught that week. The program also provides activity trackers (week 1) and resistance bands (week 5). The pedometer assists participants in self-monitoring their activity, and the resistance bands provide a form of home-based exercise that participants can do even with limited space.; Behavioral: Quality of Life; The survivorship portion of the program features a guided discussion on a different topic each session. The goals of the discussion are to present information about the topic, answer participants' questions about the topic, encourage participants to share solutions and ideas relevant to the topic with each other, and provide information on community resources participants can access if they require additional help. The health educator makes a brief presentation about the topic, answers questions, and then asks a series of 2-3 open-ended questions to facilitate discussion about the topic. At the end of the session, the health educator navigates participants who need additional information or service related to the topic to resources in the community.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Re-AIM Framework	1. Physical functioning change from baseline to 12 weeks, as measured by the 30-second sit-to-stand test	Through study completion; an average of 1 year.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Karen Basen-Engquist, BA,MPH,PHD, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Publications and helpful links

Helpful Links

• MD Anderson Cancer Center Website

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 3, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): April 30, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): April 30, 2029

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 14, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 26, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): April 2, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 1, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 28, 2026
• Last Verified: May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms; Neoplasms; Fatigue; Motor Activity; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena; Public Health; Environment and Public Health; Health Status; Demography; Epidemiologic Measurements; Exercise; Quality of Life
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2023-0231; NCI-2025-07494 (Other Identifier: Clinical Trials Reporting Program (CTRP))

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No