Emerald – Younger Women’s Wellness after Cancer Feasibility Study

Emerald – Younger Women’s Wellness after Cancer Feasibility Study

The Younger Women’s Wellness after Cancer Program (YWWACP) supports Australian women under 50 who experience physical and psychosocial challenges after breast cancer treatment. This study (EMERALD) assessed whether the program could be scaled nationally and tested in a larger randomised controlled trial. In a single-blinded feasibility study, women aged 18–50 who had completed treatment within the past 24 months were randomly assigned to intervention or control groups (30 per group). Outcomes included accessibility, acceptability, uptake, adherence, and participants’ perceptions of the program and trial processes.

Findings showed high program accessibility and acceptability. Participants valued the format and especially appreciated one-on-one support. Adherence was strong, with only two dropouts. The study achieved its recruitment target in under 12 months with good retention, indicating strong feasibility. These results support the readiness of the YWWACP for large-scale national implementation and testing.

Our EMERALD study closed 26 June 2024.

Papers

  1. Balaam SM, McCarthy AL, Vear NK, Petie MJ, Anderson DJ, Porter-Steele JP. Ten years of Women’s Wellness research: Key lessons from conducting randomised controlled trials of a whole-of-lifestyle behavioural intervention. Contemp Clin Trials Commun. 2025 Feb 3;44:101441. doi: 10.1016/j.conctc.2025.101441. PMID: 40191048; PMCID: PMC11969401
  2. The Younger Women’s Wellness after Cancer Program: Randomised Controlled Feasibility Study – still with reviewers.

UnitingCare Health Human Research Ethics Committee Approval No. 202103.

 

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