scholarly journals Determinants of Health and Physical Activity Levels Among Breast Cancer Survivors During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aline Rachel Bezerra Gurgel ◽  
Pedro Mingroni-Netto ◽  
Jose Carlos Farah ◽  
Christina May Moran de Brito ◽  
Anna S. Levin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
Breast Cancer Survivors ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Cancer Recurrence ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Physical Activity Levels

Background: Increased exercise and physical activity levels are recommended throughout cancer therapy and survivorship. Nonetheless, the COVID-19 pandemic and consequent social distancing are likely to cause a decline in physical activity.Objective: to evaluate the level of unsupervised physical activity of breast cancer survivors during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the factors associated with difficulties in engaging and maintaining recommended physical activity levels.Methods: This is a cross-sectional epidemiological study with a sample of 37 breast cancer survivors. They participated in a canoeing training program (project Remama) at the University of São Paulo before the COVID-19 pandemic. Socioeconomic aspects, engagement in physical activity, motivation, and potential exposure to COVID-19 were investigated through an online survey, administered in September of 2020.Results: During the pandemic, participants increased their body weight (5 ± 3.4 kg); 90% reported decreasing physical activity levels associated with increased sedentary time. Twenty-one (58%) participants exhibited some COVID-19-related symptoms, most used public transportation (59%), or returned to work during the period of a high incidence of COVID-19. The only factor associated with perceived difficulty in engaging in physical activities was having had more than three cancer treatments (RR: 2.14; 95% CI: 1.07–4.27).Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic led to a group of previously active breast cancer survivors to decrease their physical activity, gain weight, and have sedentary behavior. Specific tailored-care interventions are needed to prevent these occurrences, as overweight and physical inactivity may impose an additional risk for breast cancer recurrence and a severe course of COVID-19 in cancer patients.

Does Supervised Exercise Programming At Diagnosis Impact Future Physical Activity Levels In Breast Cancer Survivors?

2017 ◽  
Vol 49 (5S) ◽  
pp. 896
Author(s):  
Holly Wollmann ◽  
Amy A. Kirkham ◽  
Cheri L. Van Patten ◽  
Kelcey A. Bland ◽  
Alis Bonsignore ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Breast Cancer Survivors ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Supervised Exercise ◽  
Physical Activity Levels

scholarly journals Study protocol for a nationwide questionnaire survey of physical activity among breast cancer survivors in Japan

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. e032871
Author(s):  
Yoichi Shimizu ◽  
Katsunori Tsuji ◽  
Eisuke Ochi ◽  
Hirokazu Arai ◽  
Ryo Okubo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Breast Cancer Survivors ◽  
Population Distribution ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Cancer Center ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional

IntroductionA major concern is that few cancer survivors meet the guidelines for recommended levels of physical activity. No studies have investigated physical activity among breast cancer survivors nationwide in Japan. Therefore, the aims of this study are to identify the levels of physical activity among breast cancer survivors, to examine factors-related physical activity among breast cancer survivors and to identify breast cancer survivors’ preferences for and interest in exercise programmes in order to inform the future programme development.Methods and analysisWe will administer a cross-sectional survey using a self-report questionnaire to breast cancer survivors. At each of 50 facilities selected to include a variety of institutional backgrounds according to the population distribution of different regions throughout Japan, we will consecutively distribute the questionnaire to 30 outpatients who have completed initial treatments, except for hormone therapy. The target sample size is 1500 survivors. We will calculate descriptive statistics for each measurement item and perform univariate and multivariate analyses using outcome measures (eg, physical activity and quality of life) related to physical, psychological, social and environmental factors.DiscussionThis is the first nationwide survey of physical activity levels among breast cancer survivors in Japan. Identifying the factors associated with physical activity will help us to develop, disseminate and implement programmes that encourage more survivors to adhere to physical activity guidelines.Ethics and disseminationThe protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the National Cancer Center on 11 January 2019 (ID: 2018–295). In addition, many of the participating facilities required ethical approval from their local IRBs, while others did not. Accordingly, approval from the local IRBs of individual facilities was obtained when required. The findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.

scholarly journals Analysis of the Relationship between Diet and Exercise Beliefs and Actual Behaviors among Breast Cancer Survivors in Northwest Ohio

2010 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. BCBCR.S4146
Author(s):  
Jeffrey G. Weiner ◽  
Timothy R. Jordan ◽  
Amy J. Thompson ◽  
Brian N. Fink
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Breast Cancer Survivors ◽  
Vegetable Intake ◽  
Cancer Recurrence ◽  
Fruit And Vegetable Intake ◽  
Breast Cancer Recurrence ◽  
Fruit And Vegetable ◽  
Diet And Exercise

Introduction Studies have shown that a diet high in fruit and vegetable intake, as well as a routine including daily exercise or physical activity, can independently affect relapse rates and survivorship in breast cancer patients. Fruits and vegetables contain powerful anti-oxidant molecules, capable of preventing tumor formation and proliferation. Exercise can lower circulating levels of estrogen, the female hormone responsible for tumor proliferation in the estrogen-sensitive form of the disease. The most beneficial results have been shown in women who exercise and consume a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. We studied the attitudes towards and behaviors related to fruit and vegetable intake and exercise in a cohort of breast cancer survivors in northwest Ohio. Materials and Methods Data were gathered from a survey sent out by the Northwest Ohio Branch of the Susan G. Komen For the Cure Foundation. We assessed and evaluated survivors’ self-reported beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors regarding exercise and fruit and vegetable intake. Results Nearly half of the survivors (46.5%) reported being unsure or in disagreement with the statement “Eating at least 5 servings of fruits and/or vegetables per day will reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence.” Only 46.8% of those in agreement with the previous statement actually report eating at least 5 fruits and/or vegetables per day. With respect to exercise, 32.9% reported being unsure or in disagreement with the statement “Engaging in regular physical activity will reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence.” Only 68.5% of those in agreement with the previous statement report any physical activity in the past 30 days. Conclusions Many breast cancer survivors do not appear to be aware of the benefits of diet and exercise. Further, a large proportion of those who are aware of the benefits do not adapt a healthy diet and exercise as part of their lifestyle. A majority of these survivors see a primary care physician, which we believe is the best venue to bridge this education gap. It is apparent by the pattern our data shows that more needs to be done to educate breast cancer survivors about the benefits of exercise and fruit and vegetable intake. Steps need to be taken to ensure that those who are educated also remain motivated to engage in a healthy lifestyle with the hopes of avoiding breast cancer recurrence.

scholarly journals The Effects of Diet and Dietary Interventions on the Quality of Life among Breast Cancer Survivors: A Cross-Sectional Analysis and a Systematic Review of Experimental Studies

Cancers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina Barchitta ◽  
Andrea Maugeri ◽  
Roberta Magnano San Lio ◽  
Annalisa Quattrocchi ◽  
Flori Degrassi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Breast Cancer Survivors ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Dietary Interventions ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
High Consumption

There is an ongoing need for solid evidence about the effects of healthy behaviors, and particularly diet, on the quality of life (QoL) among breast cancer survivors. We first conducted a cross-sectional study on 68 Italian stage I-III breast cancer survivors, to investigate the association of adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD), physical activity and weight status with QoL. Adherence to MD and physical activity was assessed using structured questionnaires. QoL was assessed using the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality-of-Life tools. We showed that low consumption of red meat and carbonated beverages, daily consumption of wine and high consumption of dishes seasoned with sofrito had beneficial effects on several QoL subscales. By contrast, using olive oil as the main culinary fat, low consumption of commercial sweets and high consumption of nuts were associated with negative effects. Overall, these findings resulted in a null effect of adherence to MD on QoL. Furthermore, we observed better QoL sub-scores among women who performed moderate physical activity (i.e., diarrhea) and those who were underweight/normal weight (i.e., physical functioning and dyspnea) if compared with their counterparts (p-values ≤ 0.003 after correction for multiple comparison). Next, we performed a systematic review of nine experimental studies to summarize whether dietary interventions might improve QoL among breast cancer patients. All the studies demonstrated significant improvements in overall QoL and/or its subscales after the interventions. However, differences in study design, interventions and tools used for QoL assessment did not allow us to provide an overall estimate. Moreover, only a single-arm trial evaluated the effect of an exclusive dietary-based intervention, while others combined dietary recommendations with physical activity and weight loss programs. For these reasons, our study encourages more efforts to improve the robustness of current evidence, through more homogenous tools, larger population-based studies and further randomized controlled trials.

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