Increasing the frequency of physical activity very brief advice by nurses to cancer patients. A mixed methods feasibility study of a training intervention

Objectives: To examine the impact, acceptability, practicability and implementation of a training intervention, designed using the Behaviour Change Wheel, on the delivery of very brief advice on physical activity, by nurses to cancer patients. Study design: A mixed methods feasibility study. Method: A purposeful sample of nurses (n = 62) were recruited across two delivery arms, face-to-face (n = 55) and online (n = 7). Frequency of delivery of physical activity advice was collected at baseline with follow-up at 12 weeks. The 'capability, opportunity and motivation' of nurses to deliver very brief advice was measured via questionnaire. Semi structured phone interviews (n = 14) were completed and analyzed thematically. A cost consequence analysis was undertaken. Results: The intervention improved the 'capability, opportunity and motivation' of nurses resulting in a change in knowledge, attitudes and beliefs towards physical activity. The intervention was both acceptable and practical. Face-to-face was the preferred mode of delivery, however there was also value in the online option. The cost of delivery per participant was 33.87 for face-to-face delivery, and 103.83 for online delivery inflated due to low recruitment numbers. A significant improvement was seen in delivery of very brief advice at 12 weeks (Z = 4.39, P <= 0.01). Conclusion: The intervention is acceptable, practical and improves delivery of very brief advice on physical activity by nurses to cancer patients in the short-term. Both face-to-face and online delivery should be considered. (C) 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The Royal Society for Public Health. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).