An innovative project: the APA project at home for children and adolescents affected by cancer

Context : Practicing physical activity helps combat the effects of the disease and treatments (Wurz et al., 2021). To continue the action in Adapted Physical Activity (APA) initiated at the Bordeaux University Hospital, the Parentraide Cancer Association, the GE APA Santé Nutrition and the pediatric oncology department have designed an APA project at home, for elderly children and adolescents from 3 to 18 years old affected by cancer, with the aim of getting deconditioned patients following cancer back into movement and physical and psychological condition and enabling them to integrate regular physical activity.
Components of program or policy delivery: At the end of intensive treatments, the APA Teacher (APAT) of the pediatric oncology department offers this support to patients and their parents. After their agreement, the link is made with the GE APA Santé Nutrition so that an APAT from this association can start APA support at home with the child. Each patient benefited from 13 individual APA sessions at home. Fun activities and games were offered as well as balance exercises, muscle strengthening, coordination exercises, flexibility, skill and endurance exercises.
Assessment: The initial assessment of quality of life was carried out by the Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ-CF87). Since 2017, 131 children have been referred by the CHU, 105 of whom were supported (80%). 63% of the children completed the 13 sessions. The project is proposed all over the New Aquitaine.
Conclusions: Families expressed great satisfaction with this support. They integrated physical activity into their daily lives, the patients regained confidence.
Practical implications: This program could be reproduced in other hospital services and supports the relevance and place of EAPA in the support of children in pediatric oncology, whether during hospitalization or afterwards.
Funding: The project is financed thanks to donations collected by the association each year.