Benefits of regular exercise include reducing the risk of breast cancer recurrence and breast cancer–related mortality
Upon completion of a supervised program, more than 40% of older breast cancer survivors are insufficiently active. However, those women who developed behavioral skills such as self-confidence and motivation during their program were far more likely to continue exercising on their own, according to study results published in the October issue of the journal Supportive Care in Cancer.
In the first study of its kind, researchers from Oregon State University (OSU) and Oregon Health and Science University set out to determine what factors influenced participants’ ability to follow through and continue exercising after the supervised program ended. They analyzed a clinical trial in which the benefits of a 12-month supervised exercise program were studied among 69 older breast cancer survivors.
Researchers found that breast cancer survivors with higher self-efficacy scores were 10% more likely to be physically active 6 months after the intervention than those with lower scores.
Paul Loprinzi, lead author of the study, said exercise helps reduce common side effects of cancer treatment, such as decreased muscular strength, depression, fatigue, and weight gain. “Especially important is minimizing weight gain after breast cancer treatment because excessive weight gain can increase the risk of developing reoccurring breast cancer,” he said.
Bradley Cardinal, professor of exercise science at OSU and one of the study’s authors, said he would like to see the issue of support for cancer survivors addressed by policy makers.
“We know survivors of breast cancer are much more likely to stick with exercise if they have that structured, group support,” Cardinal said. “Ideally, it would be great if insurance programs provided for that post-treatment supervised exercise longer than 1 year. But in lieu of that, we can help them build the skills to continue on their own successfully.”
Source: Oregon State University.