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A qualitative evaluation of a group phone-based weight loss intervention for rural breast cancer survivors: Themes and mechanisms of success

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Abstract

Purpose

Obesity is prevalent in breast cancer survivors and is a significant risk factor for recurrence and mortality. Weight management interventions for survivors have been diverse in design (in-person vs. phone-based, group vs. individual) and yielded varying weight loss results. Given these issues, participants themselves may provide insight into treatment-based factors that contributed to their weight loss outcomes. Here, we report qualitative results from interviews with survivors in a group phone-based weight loss intervention, with the objective of identifying mechanisms that facilitated or hindered adherence and weight loss. We explored interest in paying for continued treatment as an indicator of dissemination potential.

Methods

Individual interviews were conducted with 186 rural, obese breast cancer survivors upon completion of a 6-month weight loss intervention that produced clinically meaningful weight loss (>5 %) in 91 % of participants. A thematic analysis of the interview data was performed.

Results

Five themes were identified as impacting adherence and success: (1) accountability; (2) importance of the group, with varying levels of connectedness; (3) dietary convenience; (4) difficulty maintaining intervention components that required more effort; and (5) importance of internal motivation to attributions of physical activity success or failure. Most were interested in paying to continue the program if it were extended beyond the study.

Conclusions

Key intervention components that participants attributed to their success included supportive group processes and convenience. Results highlight the group phone-based approach as a potential venue for disseminating an effective weight loss program for breast cancer survivors.

Trial registration:

NCT01441011

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, KS, 66160, USA

    Tera L. Fazzino, Nora J. Sporn & Christie A. Befort

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA

    Nora J. Sporn & Christie A. Befort

Authors
  1. Tera L. Fazzino
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  2. Nora J. Sporn
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  3. Christie A. Befort
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tera L. Fazzino.

Ethics declarations

The study was approved by the University’s Institution Review Board and informed consent was obtained from all participants.

Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. The researchers have full control of all primary data and agree to allow the Journal of Supportive Care in Cancer to review the data if requested.

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Fazzino, T.L., Sporn, N.J. & Befort, C.A. A qualitative evaluation of a group phone-based weight loss intervention for rural breast cancer survivors: Themes and mechanisms of success. Support Care Cancer 24, 3165–3173 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-016-3149-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-016-3149-7

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