Mobile-Health Intervention on Body Image Fear and Fatigue in Women with Breast Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer represents a major public health concern and is associated with significant psychological challenges. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a mobile health (mHealth) intervention on fatigue and body image fear among breast cancer survivors.

Materials and methods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted with 104 women with breast cancer in Mazandaran Province, Iran during 2023-2024. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 52) or a control group (n = 52). The intervention was delivered through social media platforms. Data were collected at pretest, post-test, and follow-up using a demographic questionnaire, the Cancer Fatigue Scale (CFS), and the Littleton Body Image Concern Inventory (BICI). Independent t-tests, ANCOVA, and repeated-measures ANOVA were used for data analysis at a 0.05 significance level using SPSS software.

Results: The mean (SD) age of participants was 51.43 (8.47) years, and 91 (87.50) had a diploma-level education or lower. Results showed that body image fear and fatigue scores at post-test and follow-up were significantly lower in the intervention group compared to the control group (F = 300.1, p < 0.001). Post hoc tests indicated that the mean total fatigue score in the intervention group differed from the control group by 8.83 points, and the mean total body image fear score differed by 19.30 points.

Conclusions: The findings demonstrate that the mHealth intervention had a positive effect on reducing fatigue and body image fear in breast cancer survivors. These results support the incorporation of mHealth as an effective approach within the health sector for decision-making and policy development.