Effects of an educational physical activity intervention in young women with newly diagnosed breast cancer: Findings from the Young and Strong Study.

BACKGROUND

Obesity and inactivity are poor prognostic factors in breast cancer, but less is known regarding physical activity (PA) and weight patterns in young breast cancer survivors.

METHODS

The Young and Strong Study was a cluster-randomized trial evaluating education and support interventions for young women (age <45 years) with newly diagnosed breast cancer. Sites were randomized 1:1 to a Young Women's Intervention (YWI) or a contact-time control physical activity intervention (PAI). Changes in PA and weight were compared between groups using general estimating equations to evaluate clustered binary and Gaussian data.

RESULTS

A total of 467 patients enrolled between July 2012 and December 2013 across 54 sites. Median age at diagnosis was 40 years (range, 22-45). At baseline, median body mass index (BMI) was 25.4 kg/m (range, 16.1-61.1), and participants reported a median of 0 minutes (range, 0-2190) of moderate/vigorous PA/week. PA increased significantly over time in both groups (p < .001), with no difference between groups at any time point. BMI increased modestly but significantly (p < .001) over time in both groups. Provider attention to PA was observed in 74% of participants on PAI and 61% on YWI (p = .145) and correlated with PA at 12 months (median 100 min/week of PA in participants with provider attention to PA vs. 60 min/week in those without, p = .016).

CONCLUSIONS

In a cohort of young women with breast cancer, rates of obesity and inactivity were high. PA and BMI increased over time and were not impacted by an educational PA intervention. Findings provide important information for developing lifestyle interventions for young breast cancer survivors.