Background: Exercise improves survivorship outcomes in cancer care yet remains underutilised as a supportive therapy. Training for exercise professionals in exercise oncology is limited, and no program addresses the broader multidisciplinary team (MDT) knowledge and confidence needs in facilitating patient engagement with exercise. These gaps are pronounced for underserved tumour types and priority populations, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and people in rural and remote areas. CanACTIVATE addresses this unmet need through a national, co-designed professional development program for the MDT and exercise professionals.
Aim: The aim was to determine stakeholders' information needs, preferred training formats, and considerations for meeting the needs of people living with or beyond cancer.
Methods: CanACTIVATE is being co-designed through a staged discovery, design and development process; this abstract reports findings from the initial discovery phase (April–July 2026), comprising online one-on-one and group interviews and surveys. Recruitment targeted relevant professional groups (exercise and MDT professionals, people living with or beyond cancer, and priority populations, via varied, opportunistic channels.
Results: Participants (33 exercise professionals, 49 MDT members, 6 people living with or beyond cancer, 5 priority populations experts, 6 other) took part in online interviews and/or surveys. Consistent themes emerged across all three sources. Participants strongly preferred short, audio-enabled, online modules with printable resources, and wanted information to support individualised rather than generic exercise advice. MDT members sought information on initiating conversations about exercise, while exercise professionals wanted deeper technical knowledge for complex cases. All groups identified MDT time constraints, poor referral pathways, and high costs as key barriers to discussing, providing, and accessing exercise support in cancer care.
Discussion: These findings are informing the design and development phases of CanACTIVATE. Launching in 2027, the program will contribute to the Australian Cancer Plan's objective to build a capable workforce.