Intervention
breast self-examination, breast cancer
BREAST CANCER
Women in the IG participated in a 6-month intervention (January–June 2020) based on the Behaviour Change Wheel Model [Sources of behavior, intervention functions, and needs included in the educational interventionPsychological capabilityReflective motivationEducationPersuasionPsychological capabilityAutomatic motivationEducationIncentivizationEducationPersuasionPsychological capabilityPhysical capabilityAutomatic motivationTrainingEducationModelingIncentivizationPsychological capabilityReflective motivationEducationPersuasionPsychological capabilityReflective motivationEducationPersuasionPsychological capabilityPhysical capabilityAutomatic motivationTrainingEducationModelingA web-app specifically designed for this study was used. The app was divided into six sections: (i) breast cancer risk factors; (ii) early detection of breast cancer (breast self-examination and signs and symptoms); (iii) physical activity (‘create your own routine’ and related resources); (iv) nutrition; (v) news (on nutrition, physical activity, and evaluations); (vi) contests, where women could complete challenges related to nutrition and physical activity.The content of sections (i) and (ii) was permanent from the beginning to the end of the intervention and consisted of texts and images relating to the risk factors and symptoms of breast cancer, as well as six explanatory videos showing the steps required to correctly perform a breast self-examination. Both sections were developed following the advice of a breast cancer nurse practitioner and a medical doctor.Sections (iii) and (iv) included information in the form of texts, images, or videos related to physical activity and nutrition and were updated twice a week. In relation to physical activity, the women were provided with information about different outdoor walking routes in the Principado de Asturias. Throughout the intervention, they could access 58 videos showing a woman performing exercises of varying intensity and difficulty, arranged by body zones, which served as motivation and guidance enabling them to learn and perform them correctly. The videos were accompanied by an exercise plan (frequency, number of repetitions, and combination of exercises). These resources were intended to help participants design routines and activity plans to be carried out at home. In the nutrition section, women had access to healthy recipes and videos featuring a nutrition expert who gave them tips and general recommendations for a healthy diet. These were updated every 15 days and the expert was also available for questions about dietary habits via email. Sections iii and iv were developed according to the advice and support from a sports and nutrition technician, respectively.Section (v) consisted of news concerning the topic of the study from the press or social media, which was of interest to the participants by the research team. This section was developed by a nurse and a lecturer and researcher in health promotion.Finally, a contest was created in which participants were encouraged to complete the routines and recipes suggested in sections (iii) and (iv) and take a photograph of a routine while they were doing it or a photograph of a recipe they had prepared displaying a logo designed specifically for the intervention. They were then asked to share the photograph with the other women in the contest section. Each completed challenge gave the participant a score. At the beginning of the intervention, the women were informed that the participant with the highest score at the end of the intervention would receive a prize.