1. Introduction
fatigue, cancer to gain, cancer, cancer-, Cancer
CANCER, CANCER
These authors contributed equally to this work.(1) Background: Strong evidence supports the persuasive positive effects of exercise for cancer patients and survivors. Different approaches of exercise programs have been established; however, the special interests of young adults (YAs) with cancer have rarely been considered in exercise interventions. Therefore, the study YOUng EXercisers (YOUEX) aimed to investigate exercise preferences in YAs. (2) Methods: YOUEX was a three-arm, patient preference-based non-randomized, longitudinal, pre–post exercise intervention, offering three different exercise modules to YAs during or after acute therapy (Module 1: online supervised group-based (M1); Module 2: online unsupervised (M2); Module 3: in-person supervised (M3)). The intervention period was 12 weeks with another 12-week follow-up period, the modules could be changed or amended after 6 and 12 weeks. (3) Results: 92 YAs were allocated to the study. At baseline, 50 YAs (54%) chose M2, 32 YAs (35%) M1 and 10 YAs (11%) M3. The analysis revealed high acceptability and feasibility of the online exercise programs (M1, M2). There was a high impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the execution of M3. YAs showed diverse preferences in module selection due to differences in, e.g., cancer therapy status or favored level of supervision. (4) Conclusions: YAs need personalized exercise programs that consider their individual interests and needs. Online exercise programs can be a promising addition to existing exercise opportunities. They are an effective way to increase physical activity levels in YAs.A strong body of evidence demonstrates the beneficial psychological and physiological effects of physical activity (PA) and exercise in cancer patients and survivors before, during and after treatment. Hundreds of exercise interventions have revealed the reduction in highly prevalent cancer- and treatment-related side effects, such as fatigue [Commonly, the term ‘adolescents and young adults’ (AYA) includes individuals between the ages of 15–39 years. Today, cancer occurs about 66,000 times in AYA per year in Europe [With a focus on YAs, we developed a health care research study, called YOUEX (YOUng EXercisers) that addresses and investigates the needs and preferences of YAs aged 18–39 years to participate in a structured exercise program. Therefore, we implemented three different exercise modules that included different online tools or in-person training sessions. The YOUEX study is based on a comprehensive evaluation design and is supported by the German Foundation for Young Adults with Cancer.The goal of the YOUEX study was to investigate the feasibility, acceptance and individual module selection of the three exercise modules by YAs with cancer to gain knowledge about how exercise programs should be structured for this young target group.