Effects of supervised high-intensity interval training on motivational outcomes in men with prostate cancer undergoing active surveillance: results from a randomized controlled trial

Background Understanding the motivational effects of supervised aerobic high-intensity interval training (HIIT) may help men with prostate cancer undergoing active surveillance initiate and maintain exercise behavior, however, few studies have addressed this question. This report explored exercise motivation in men with prostate cancer undergoing active surveillance participating in a randomized exercise trial. Methods The Exercise during Active Surveillance for Prostate Cancer (ERASE) trial randomized 52 men with prostate cancer on active surveillance to the HIIT exercise group or the usual care (UC) group. The exercise program was supervised aerobic HIIT conducted three times per week for 12 weeks. The motivation questions were developed using the Theory of Planned Behavior and included motivational constructs, anticipated and experienced outcomes, and barriers to HIIT during active surveillance. Results The HIIT group attended 96% of the planned exercise sessions with 100% compliance to the exercise protocol. Motivation outcome data were obtained in 25/26 (96%) participants in the HIIT group and 25/26 (96%) participants in the UC group. At baseline, study participants were generally motivated to perform HIIT. After the intervention, the HIIT group reported that HIIT was even more enjoyable (p d = 1.38), more motivating (p = 0.001; d = 0.89), more controllable (p d = 0.85), and instilled more confidence (p = 0.004; d = 0.66) than they had anticipated. Moreover, compared to UC, HIIT participants reported significantly higher perceived control (p = 0.006; d = 0.68) and a more specific plan (p = 0.032; d = 0.67) for performing HIIT over the next 6 months. No significant differences were found in anticipated versus experienced outcomes. Exercise barriers were minimal, however, the most often reported barriers included pain or soreness (56%), traveling to the fitness center (40%), and being too busy and having limited time (36%). Conclusion Men with prostate cancer on active surveillance were largely motivated and expected significant benefits from a supervised HIIT program. Moreover, the men assigned to the HIIT program experienced few barriers and achieved high adherence, which further improved their motivation. Future research is needed to understand long-term exercise motivation and behavior change in this setting. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT03203460. Registered on June 29, 2017.