Questionnaire on Fatigue after Breast Cancer

80% of people with cancer experience fatigue. One in five are still extremely fatigued even 10 years after diagnosis. We aim to do more research on this issue. The first step is being able to measure fatigue accurately. That’s why we are testing a questionnaire with women who have recovered from breast cancer and are experiencing fatigue.

What are we working on? 

At the University of Twente, we developed a digital questionnaire that explores how you experience fatigue and its impact on your life. We are testing this questionnaire to see if the information it provides can be used to offer personalized advice on managing fatigue. Can we measure fatigue over a long period? How does someone cope with fatigue? Can we replace certain questions with information from a Fitbit?

We are therefore looking for women who have recovered from breast cancer, experience fatigue, and are willing to test our questionnaire. In earlier research, participants mentioned that this fatigue is different from what they experienced before breast cancer. That’s why we’re asking you to participate along with a friend, neighbor, colleague, or (in-law) sister who has not had cancer. You can also participate if you don’t know anyone who wants to join—we’ll arrange that.

What do we ask of you? 

• To check if you can participate, we will first speak to you by phone.
• After that, we will have an intake at a location in Twente that we will agree upon. We will install the app for the questionnaire and the Fitbit.
• You will fill out a weekly questionnaire for two months, which takes a maximum of 15 minutes each time.
• You will wear the Fitbit.
• We will discuss whether you know someone who would also like to participate (such as a friend, neighbor, colleague, (in-law) sister, cousin, etc.). If you don’t have someone in your network who wants to join, we will arrange this for you.

By participating, you help both yourself and others by gaining insights into your fatigue.

Who can participate and when? 

• You have a mobile phone.
• You finished your treatment at least three months ago.
• You are an adult woman (18 years or older).
• You are willing to wear the Fitbit.
• You can read and write in Dutch.

We are looking for participants who are different (in terms of education level and age) from those already taking part. This way, we can study a wide variety of people and help as many different individuals as possible with the results. We are especially looking for:

• People whose highest level of education is secondary or vocational (MBO).
• People who have not had cancer, so we can compare the results with those of former cancer patients.

You cannot (or no longer) participate if:

• You have had breast cancer. For this study, we already have enough former breast cancer patients.

Want to check if you can participate?
Send an email to the researchers at partnr-studie@utwente.nl or call 053 489 1599.

If you are not eligible for this study, you can still leave your contact details so we can consider you for similar studies in the future.

Extra information

After participating, you may keep the Fitbit or exchange it for a gift card.

Meet the researcher

sign up

Thank you for your interest in testing a questionnaire on fatigue after breast cancer. Please fill in your details below, and the researcher will contact you.

• Participation in scientific research is always voluntary.
• If you sign up for a study, you will always receive an automatic confirmation email. The email will state when you can expect to hear from the researcher.
• The researcher will contact you. You will then receive more information about the study and can ask any questions you may have.
• After contact with the researcher, you will confirm whether you will participate. You will then fill out a so-called 'Consent Form.'
• After giving your consent, you will receive a copy of the consent form.
• An ethics committee has reviewed this study and given a positive recommendation. This means that the committee deems the study to be scientifically sound and that it is conducted in accordance with participant rights.
• Your contact details will only be used in the way you want them to be. We will only share the information with the researcher of the study you want to participate in. If you indicated that you would like to stay informed about new studies, you will receive a maximum of one message per month. If this changes, we will contact you first. Read here for detailed information on how we handle personal data.