Study Tests

You will be asked to provide your age, gender, socioeconomic information, and other clinical information. Some of your clinical information will be recorded from your medical records. The baseline surveys will be completed only once before the intervention begins. Time to complete: ~15 min.

Uses a strong magnet to produce pictures of areas inside the body such as organs and other tissue, and the inside of bones. You will be asked to lie still and hold your breath a few different times while the machine makes loud noises to take pictures. The scan will take pictures of your abdomen, liver, and thighs to determine the amount of fat and muscle in these locations. Time to complete: 30 min.

Edmonton participants only: For cardiac MRI, four electrodes will be placed by a trained MR technician on your chest, and you will be asked to hold your breath for short periods of time. This test will be completed at two different times: before the intervention begins, and after the intervention ends.  Time to complete: 30 min.

OPTIONAL:  After you complete the cardiac MRI at rest, you will exercise using a stepping ergometer while lying in the tube of the MRI machine. While you exercise, images will be taken of your heart to allow us to measure your heart's pumping capacity and the oxygenation of your blood.

The 5-, 10-, and 15-year survival rates will come from the cancer registry, other province registries, or hospital medical records.

You will be asked to complete specific questionnaires about gender, physical activity level and needs, overall health, dietary intake, awareness and attention, stress levels, depression, and anxiety. We will also measure your knowledge, skills, and confidence in self-managing your diet, physical activity, and mental health.  Time to complete: ~35 min.

You will be asked to stand with your feet together, and to tuck your shirt under your armpits, while crossing your arms over your chest, and have your abdomen relaxed. A tape measure will be placed around your waist. You will perform 3D body scans using a turntable and a smartphone, which will also be used to measure your waist and other body circumferences, as well as to estimate your body composition. Time to complete: ~5 min.

You will be asked to void your bladder, wear light clothing, and remove your shoes for the measurement of your height and weight. Time to complete: ~5 min.

At home, you will be asked to use the Automated Self-Administered 24-hour (ASA24®) dietary assessment tool. You will enter and describe the amount of food and beverages you have consumed during two weekdays and one weekend day, consecutively. Time to complete: ~30 min per record.

You will be given a Fitbit Inspire 3 activity monitor in your first visit to track your physical activity, heart rate, and sleep for at least 7 days/nights at the beginning of the study, at week 16, and at your last week of the intervention. Instructions for setup will be provided.

A blood pressure cuff will be placed on bare skin around your upper arm. Your arm will be supported so that the blood pressure cuff is approximately at heart level. Time to complete: ~8 min.

You will be asked to lie down on a bed. A clear hood will be placed over your head and shoulders while the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide that you breathe in and out is measured. Time to complete: ~30-40 min.

You will be asked to complete blood work at a DynaLIFE (for Edmonton participants) or at The University of Toronto (for Toronto participants).To protect your identity, the information that will be on your samples and results will be limited to your participant’s ID and birthdate and sex.

 Time to complete: ~20-30 min.

This scan will be completed solely for research purposes. It measures your body fat, muscles, and bone density using low-dose x-rays. For this assessment, you will lie on your back for about 10 minutes while a scanner arm is positioned over areas of your body. You will be asked to wear a hospital gown. Time to complete: ~20-30 min.

For this exam, you will be asked to lie down. A thick gel will be applied to the skin of your neck, where a device will scan it to measure the artery walls. Ultrasound is a non-invasive and safe technique. Time to complete: ~15-20 min.

You will be asked to squeeze a device to the best of your ability to measure the strength in your arm. You will be asked to repeat this squeezing motion 3 times. Time to complete: ~8 min.

You will be asked to perform an exercise test on a treadmill to measure your fitness levels. During the test, you will wear a face mask that covers your mouth and nose to collect the air that you breathe out, and EKG stickers will be placed on your chest and back to measure heart function. We will also place a small box-shaped device on your right thigh that will use near-infrared light to measure the oxygenation of your thigh muscle. The test will start with low resistance, and it will gradually increase over time until you feel you cannot exercise any harder or you wish to stop. Time to complete: ~25-30 min.