Survivors' health competence mediates the association between wearable activity tracker use and self-rated health: HINTS analysis.

purposePhysical activity (PA) plays an important role in achieving positive self-rated health (SRH) among cancer survivors. Wearable activity trackers (WATs) can be effective for self-monitoring and tracking PA. Studies have shown that survivors who use WATs are more likely to engage in more PA. However, few studies have examined the direct and indirect associations between WAT use, PA, and SRH mediated by constructs derived from self-determination theory, perceived health competence, and perceived social relatedness for health.

methodsData on survivors were analyzed from National Cancer Institute's Health Information National Trend Survey (HINTS) Cycle 1-3 (n = 1,421). Path analysis was used to test the total, direct, and indirect associations.

resultsPrevious WAT use was directly associated with PA level (standardized beta (SB): 0.07, p = 0.005) and indirectly associated with SRH (SB: 0.04, p = 0.005), mediated by perceived health competence and PA. Perceived health competence was directly associated with SRH (SB: 0.51, p < .0001) and PA (SB: 0.20, p < .0001), and perceived social relatedness for health was not significantly associated with PA (SB: 0.005, p = 0.8) or SRH (SB: 0.02, p = 0.31).

conclusionsOverall, these results indicate that perceived health competence significantly mediated the associations between WAT use and SRH; however, WAT use was only directly associated with PA and was not mediated. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: These findings support the notion that WATs may play a role in addressing SRH among cancer survivors through fostering perceived health competence by providing real-time feedback, goal setting, and opportunities for self-monitoring.