An exploratory analysis of 24-h movement behaviors in individuals with cancer completing a 12-week resistance exercise intervention

Purpose Individuals with cancer often experience disrupted sleep, sedentary behavior, and reduced physical activity. This exploratory analysis examined the feasibility of continuous 24-h monitoring using wrist-worn accelerometers and characterized movement behaviors during a 12-week supervised resistance training program in individuals with cancer. We additionally aimed to evaluate whether daily movement behaviors (moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), light physical activity (LPA), sedentary time, and sleep) differed between exercise and non-exercise days. Methods Thirty individuals with cancer wore Axivity accelerometers continuously while participating in supervised resistance training (2–3 sessions/week). Feasibility was assessed via wear-time compliance. Movement behaviors were analyzed descriptively across exercise and non-exercise days throughout the intervention. Results Participants demonstrated high adherence to continuous monitoring, with valid wear data on 70% of all days of the intervention. Within-person comparisons revealed significantly higher MVPA (+3.3 min) and LPA (+10.9 min) on exercise days. No significant changes were observed in sleep duration or sedentary time across the intervention or between exercise and non-exercise days. Conclusions Continuous wrist-worn accelerometry is a feasible method for long-term behavioral monitoring in individuals with cancer. Supervised resistance training produced modest acute increases in physical activity but did not impact sleep or sedentary time.