Development of physical activity mobile app in breast cancer survivors

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: M-health technologies are increasingly being used to measure physical activity and promote physical activity behaviors in the context of breast cancer. Despite the benefits of physical activity in breast cancer survivors, most individuals are not active enough. The aim of research is to develop a mobile physical activity application for breast cancer survivors to improve their physical activity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study, aimed at developing a mobile application, was conducted between December 2023 and September 2024. Following the approval of the ethics committee, a preliminary interview was conducted with 10 conveniently accessible breast cancer survivors who had completed their treatment to identifying the key features of the physical activity application to be developed. The Pre-interview Form and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form were used for data collection. Subsequently, a physical activity application was developed using Flutter technology. FINDINGS: Among the individuals who participated in the pre-interview, 60% were classified as 'inactive,' and half reported that they are 'currently not engaging in any exercise activity.' While 50% of participants expressed being 'very interested' in mobile and internet technology, only 20% reported using a mobile phone application to support physical activity. In this context, the application we developed has features entering and editing profile information, displaying physical activity duration, calories burned, and step count, as well as adding or editing physical activity days. CONCLUSION: It was determined that the physical activity levels of breast cancer survivors were inadequate. In this context, the application is expected to increase physical activity levels among breast cancer survivors and improve health-related outcomes, including physical and psychosocial health, as well as overall quality of life. Keywords: Breast cancer, survivors, physical activity, mobile apps, nursing care