Abstract
Purpose: Physical activity (PA) levels are low among breast cancer survivors. Narrative visualization (NV) is a technique that uses drawings, photographs, and text to contextualize data, which may increase integrated regulation, or motivation for PA by relating it to personal values and identity. The purpose of this study was to determine the acceptability of a NV intervention for older breast cancer survivors.Methods: Participants completed an NV workbook for 7 days using the provided instant camera, art supplies including a variety of stickers, and a wearable electronic activity monitor. The workbook pages prompted participants to re-draw their daily activity graphs from the monitor’s mobile app, then annotate them with text, photographs, stickers, etc. to reflect what the data meant to them. Thematic analysis and content analysis were used to identify emergent themes. Results: Of the 20 consented women (mean age 67±5 years, 45% non-Hispanic White), 17 participants completed all study procedures. Participants showed high levels of engagement (e.g., mean of 9 photos taken; mean of 56 stickers used over 7 days; all workbook questions completed) supporting intervention acceptability. Themes within the photos included family, specific locations, everyday objects, religion, and friends. Themes within the written portions of the workbook included family, chores and obligations, health, personal reflection, hobbies, and shopping. Weight loss was not a major theme. Conclusions: Breast cancer survivors successfully used NV techniques to reflect on their PA data and behavior. These techniques show promise for promoting integrated regulation in activity monitoring interventions.Trial Registration: NCT03612596