WeCARE: Wearable Technology for Behavioral Monitoring in Childhood Cancer – A Digital Biopsychosocial Approach to Extending and Personalizing Care for Improved Health and Quality of Life

Children with cancer experience disruptions in physical activity (PA), sleep, and stress, impacting their health and recovery. These factors are often overlooked during follow-ups due to time constraints and lengthy questionnaires. This project explores how wearable technology can enable continuous, non-intrusive behavioral monitoring, shifting pediatric oncology from a reactive, disease-centered to a proactive, patient-centered approach.First, we will develop a framework for integrating medically approved wearables, combining insights from medical, engineering, and social sciences. Through literature reviews and stakeholder consultations, we will address ethical, social, and privacy challenges, while lab experiments will refine and validate biometric data collection.Next, we will implement digital monitoring in young oncology patients to assess how PA, sleep, and stress interact and impact health and well-being.Finally, we will co-design and test a mobile app that integrates wearable data for education and behavioral stimulation, promoting a healthier lifestyle with increased PA, improved sleep hygiene, and better stress management.

Keywords:gamification, m-health, childhood concology, quantified self, health-behavior change, Mobile App development, digital physical activity monitoring, digital stress monitoring, wearables for monitoring, human- and patient-centered, biopsychosocial framework, digital sleep monitoring, personalised rehabilitation and care

Disciplines:Oncology not elsewhere classified, Other (bio)medical engineering not elsewhere classified, Rehabilitation sciences, Communication sciences not elsewhere classified