Abstract B079: Impact of exercise interventions on mental and physical health outcomes among Black breast cancer survivors: A systematic review
Authors: Guillen Sabrina M. , Cousin Lakeshia 
Published: September 2024

This review aims to identify and characterize physical activity interventions developed to address mental and physical health outcomes among Black breast cancer (BC) survivors. Over 3.8 million BC survivors in the U.S. may experience physical, psychological, and functional symptoms that alter their ability to engage in physical activity. Physical activity for BC survivors is well recognized for managing these cancer-related symptoms and improving quality of life. However, physical inactivity is a public health problem among Black women with BC. Black women experience a 41% higher mortality rate and worse outcomes across all stages of BC than any other racial/ethnic group due to many factors, including psychosocial stressors and disproportionate socioeconomic disadvantages. More research is needed to understand barriers and facilitators among Black BC survivors to engage in physical activity, specifically posttreatment, and to decrease BC disparities. A systematic review was deemed appropriate, and the keywords “breast cancer AND black women AND exercise” were searched using the following databases: PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, and PsycINFO as of May 2024. Studies were selected based on inclusion/exclusion criteria using two reviewers. This review included 19 studies (n=8 descriptive and n=11 experimental) involving 9,691 breast cancer patients, focusing on the mental and physical health outcomes associated with physical activity among Black women. Findings indicate that Black women generally do not meet physical activity guidelines, exhibit lower physical functioning, higher body mass index (BMI), and often live with multimorbidity. Studies were categorized into physical health (BMI, lymphedema, fatigue, muscle strength, physical function, diet, and comorbidities) and mental health (quality of life, emotional well-being, social support, and negative mood). Exercise interventions demonstrated potential for improving physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness, and muscle strength, with mixed results on quality of life (QOL) and fatigue. Significant associations were found between higher physical activity levels and QOL (n=7). Physical health-related findings included significant associations between physical activity and improved BMI (n=2), decreased lymphedema (n=2), and weight loss (n=1). However, four out of six studies focusing on BMI reported no significant associations with physical activity. An 8-week moderate-intensity exercise intervention led to marginal reductions in fatigue and slight improvements in QOL (P = 0.06) compared to baseline. A high prevalence of obesity, physical inactivity, and suboptimal adherence to physical activity among Black BC survivors from this systematic review highlight the need to develop culturally tailored physical activity interventions to address this public health issue. Specifically, more studies are needed to incorporate more goal setting, motivational techniques, and access to physical/psychosocial resources that address barriers and enhance facilitators to long-term exercise adherence.

Citation Format: Sabrina M. Guillen, Lakeshia Cousin. Impact of exercise interventions on mental and physical health outcomes among Black breast cancer survivors: A systematic review [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 17th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2024 Sep 21-24; Los Angeles, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2024;33(9 Suppl):Abstract nr B079.