AYA-UNITE: Lessons Learned on Intervention Development Promoting Social and Physical Health of Adolescent/Young Adult Cancer Survivors

Adolescent/young adult cancer survivors (AYACS) struggle with poor psychosocial health related to social disruptions due to cancer diagnosis, impacting long-term goal achievement and overall health. In particular, social health promotion is overlooked in AYACS’ care. AYA-UNITE, a sociobehavioral exercise intervention pilot for AYACS 15–21 years of age at cancer diagnosis, was designed to foster AYACS’ social and physical health. AYA-UNITE was a 12-week group-based virtual exercise program incorporating strength training and aerobic activity. In this brief report, we account AYA-UNITE’s conceptual design, lessons learned through AYA-UNITE intervention development, and opportunities for improvement in implementing effective AYACS psychosocial interventions (NCT03778658).