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Evaluation of a 12-week home-based walking intervention for breast cancer survivors

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Supportive Care in Cancer Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Goals of work

To evaluate a 12-week home-based walking intervention among breast cancer survivors and to quantify changes in physical activity (PA) behaviors, body weight, and body composition in response to the intervention.

Patients and methods

Breast cancer survivors that were in the posttreatment period were randomized to intervention (n=23) or wait-list usual care (n=13). PA was assessed by self-report, and in a study subsample (n=23), by an accelerometer. Intention to treat principles were employed to estimate the intervention effect on PA behaviors, body weight, and body composition. Intervention adherence was calculated as the proportion of exercise sessions completed relative to the number of exercise sessions recommended, as reported each week on walking logs.

Main results

Thirty-four of 36 women randomized (94%) completed the study. Average intervention adherence over 12 weeks was 94%. Intervention participants reported a significantly greater increase in walking for exercise [+11.9 metabolic equivalent (MET)-h/week] over time than did usual care participants (+1.7 MET-h/week, p=0.01). Objective measures of activity also indicated that intervention participants increased their activity levels over time as compared to usual care participants [i.e., counts/min/day and steps/day (p≤0.04)]. No significant changes in body weight or composition were observed.

Conclusion

We found that a 12-week home-based walking intervention was safe and effective for increasing short-term PA levels in breast cancer survivors. Future studies are needed to assess the ability of brief interventions to facilitate the maintenance of increased activity levels and to produce favorable quality of life and risk factor outcomes.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Ms. Amy Skiba, M.S., for her dedicated efforts on behalf or the Breast Cancer Walking Study. This research was supported financially by the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, the South Carolina Cancer Center, and the Vanderbilt General Clinical Research Center (M01 RR-00095).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine and Public Health, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Medical Center East, Suite 6100, Nashville, TN, 37232-8300, USA

    Charles E. Matthews & Cara L. Hanby

  2. Department of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    Sara Wilcox

  3. Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60608, USA

    Cheryl Der Ananian

  4. Department of Neuropsychiatry, Psychosocial Oncology Palmetto Health, South Carolina Cancer Center, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    Sue P. Heiney

  5. Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA

    Tebeb Gebretsadik & Ayumi Shintani

Authors
  1. Charles E. Matthews
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  2. Sara Wilcox
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  3. Cara L. Hanby
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  4. Cheryl Der Ananian
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  5. Sue P. Heiney
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  6. Tebeb Gebretsadik
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  7. Ayumi Shintani
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Charles E. Matthews.

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Matthews, C.E., Wilcox, S., Hanby, C.L. et al. Evaluation of a 12-week home-based walking intervention for breast cancer survivors. Support Care Cancer 15, 203–211 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-006-0122-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-006-0122-x

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