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 .
Results of the Exercise and Nutrition to Enhance Recovery and Good Health for You (ENERGY) Trial: A Behavioral Weight Loss Intervention in Overweight or Obese Breast Cancer Survivors.
PURPOSE Obesity increases risk for all-cause and breast cancer mortality and comorbidities in women who have been diagnosed and treated for breast cancer . The Exercise and Nutrition to Enhance Recovery and Good Health for You ( ENERGY ) study is the largest weight loss intervention trial among survivors of breast cancer to date . METHODS In this multicenter trial , 692 overweight/obese women who were , on average , 2 years since primary treatment for early-stage breast cancer were r and omly assigned to either a group-based behavioral intervention , supplemented with telephone counseling and tailored newsletters , to support weight loss or a less intensive control intervention and observed for 2 years . Weight and blood pressure were measured at 6 , 12 , 18 , and 24 months . Longitudinal mixed models were used to analyze change over time . RESULTS At 12 months , mean weight loss was 6.0 % of initial weight in the intervention group and 1.5 % in the control group ( P<.001 ) . At 24 months , mean weight loss in the intervention and control groups was 3.7 % and 1.3 % , respectively ( P<.001 ) . Favorable effects of the intervention on physical activity and blood pressure were observed . The weight loss intervention was more effective among women older than 55 years than among younger women . CONCLUSION A behavioral weight loss intervention can lead to clinical ly meaningful weight loss in overweight/obese survivors of breast cancer . These findings support the need to conduct additional studies to test methods that support sustained weight loss and to examine the potential benefit of intentional weight loss on breast cancer recurrence and survival
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 .