Conclusions : The available literature suggests that African American breast cancer survivors adhere to interventions of various modalities and are capable of making modest to significant changes .
Background : African American breast cancer survivors have a higher incidence of estrogen receptor negative and basal-like ( e.g. , triple negative ) tumors , placing them at greater risk for poorer survival when compared to women of other racial and ethnic groups .
While access to equitable care , late disease stage at diagnosis , tumor biology , and sociodemographic characteristics contribute to health disparities , poor lifestyle characteristics ( i.e. , inactivity , obesity , and poor diet ) contribute equally to these disparities .
Lifestyle interventions hold promise in shielding African American survivors from second cancers , comorbidities , and premature mortality , but they are often underrepresented in studies promoting positive behaviors .
This review examined the available literature to document health behaviors and lifestyle intervention ( i.e. , obesity , physical activity , and sedentary behavior ) studies in African American breast cancer survivors .
A Community-Based Exercise and Support Group Program in African-American Breast Cancer Survivors (ABCs).
African-American ( AA ) women have higher rates of breast cancer ( BCa ) mortality than Caucasian women , and a recent study using data from the Surveillance , Epidemiology and End Results ( SEER ) registry suggests that this disparity may be due , in part , to the poorer health status of AAs at diagnosis and not treatment related issues . R and omized controlled trials involving supervised aerobic and resistance exercise have shown improved body composition and improvement in cancer-related biomarkers in BCa patients and may lead to improved recurrence and survival rates ; however , most trials have focused on Caucasians and many have been conducted in academic- and clinic-based setting s. We evaluated the feasibility of conducting a 20-week , supervised , resistance training , group exercise intervention coupled with a support group and home walking program utilizing facilities and personnel at a community cancer support center ( The Gathering Place , Beachwood , Ohio ) in AA Stage I-III BCa survivors who were within 12 months of completing treatment ( surgery , chemotherapy , and /or breast irradiation )  ; and , evaluated the potential effects of this intervention on physical measures and cancer-related biomarkers . 27 patients provided informed consent and 19 participated in the program . On average , attendance rates were 70.0 % ± 19.1 % for the exercise sessions and 63.1 % ± 13.8 % for the support group . We observed a significant decrease in circulating C-peptide levels ( B : 893.9 ± 399.1 pg/mL ; EOI : 723.9 ± 319.0 pg/mL ; p=0.01 ) . Although we did not observe a significant decrease in weight in the entire sample , there was a significant decrease in waist circumference and percent total body fat among those who attended 70 % or more of the exercise sessions . In summary , we demonstrated that conducting lifestyle interventions in AA BCa survivors in a community setting is feasible . Future interventions should invoke strategies to enhance adherence and include a structured dietary intervention to enable greater weight loss
Conclusions : The available literature suggests that African American breast cancer survivors adhere to interventions of various modalities and are capable of making modest to significant changes .
Background : African American breast cancer survivors have a higher incidence of estrogen receptor negative and basal-like ( e.g. , triple negative ) tumors , placing them at greater risk for poorer survival when compared to women of other racial and ethnic groups .
While access to equitable care , late disease stage at diagnosis , tumor biology , and sociodemographic characteristics contribute to health disparities , poor lifestyle characteristics ( i.e. , inactivity , obesity , and poor diet ) contribute equally to these disparities .
Lifestyle interventions hold promise in shielding African American survivors from second cancers , comorbidities , and premature mortality , but they are often underrepresented in studies promoting positive behaviors .
This review examined the available literature to document health behaviors and lifestyle intervention ( i.e. , obesity , physical activity , and sedentary behavior ) studies in African American breast cancer survivors .