24-hour Physical Activity, Sedentary, and Sleep Profiles in Individuals with Cancer: A UK Biobank Cohort Study

Background The 24h behaviour profile, including physical activity, sedentary time, and sleep, is disrupted following a cancer diagnosis and contributes to cancer-related outcomes. This study describes the 24h behaviour profiles of individuals with and without cancer. Methods Seven days of accelerometer data from the UK Biobank (M ± SD _age = 62.3 ± 7.8y; 56.4% female) were derived from machine learning models to assess the 24h behaviour profile in individuals with cancer (n = 10 152; M ± SD _{years since diagnosis} = 7.4 ± 6.1y) compared to individuals without cancer at their accelerometry measurement (including individuals with other conditions [n = 66 403], and healthy [n = 14 726]). Diagnoses were identified through ICD-10 coding within cancer registries, hospital inpatient records, self-reports, primary care, and death registers. Bayesian compositional data analysis compared 24h behaviour profiles between individuals with and without cancer, considering time since cancer diagnosis and cancer type. Results The 24h behaviour profile of individuals with cancer consisted of 21.6 minutes in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), 303.5 minutes in light physical activity (LPA), 559.2 minutes in sedentary, and 555.7 minutes in sleep. Overall, they spent less time in MVPA -7.1 [-8.0, -6.1] min/day) and LPA -11.2 [-14.7, -7.7] min/day), accompanied by more sedentary time (+11.0 [7.2, 14.9] min/day) and sleep (+7.3 [4.6, 10.0] min/day), compared to healthy individuals. The least physically active profiles were observed within 1 year of cancer diagnoses and in individuals with blood, gastrointestinal tract, and lung cancer. Conclusions The 24h behaviour profiles differed by cancer history, time since diagnosis, and type. Specific behavioural trade-off strategies and support should be considered for cancer survivors, particularly in the year after diagnosis.