Abstract P5-12-11: Evaluating overweight/obesity and physical activity rates in an ethnically diverse sample of breast cancer survivors

Introduction: Overweight/obesity are associated with higher risk of recurrence and poorer survival after a breast cancer diagnosis. According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data for 2011, in South Carolina, 74.6% of African American (AA) and 62.5% of European American (EA) adult women are overweight/obese.

Methods: Prevalence of overweight/obesity and level of physical activity (PA) are evaluated in an ongoing, ethnically-diverse statewide study of adult women with recently-diagnosed invasive breast cancer. Participants are identified within 18 months post-diagnosis through the South Carolina Central Cancer Registry (SCCCR). Participants who opt in to the study are interviewed via telephone and self-report their body weight, height and physical activities. Published CDC body mass index (BMI) categories and 2008 PA guidelines are used to characterize BMI and PA guideline adherence.

Results: During the first 10 months of the study, 98 women (56 AA, 42 EA) were interviewed and results analyzed. Age: Participants ranged in age from 26 to 90 years (mean 60.2 years, SD 12.8), with AAs 3.7 years younger than EAs (p = 0.16). Education: Almost two-thirds of participants (61%) had more than a high school diploma (55% of AAs and 69% of EAs, p = 0.29). BMI: The BMI mean was 30.1 (SD 6.6, median 26.6) which was significantly higher in AAs (31.3 compared to 28.6 in EAs, p = 0.04). Among all women combined, 79% were overweight/obese, with no statistically significant difference by race (p = 0.15). Overweight was equally frequent among AAs (34%) and EAs (33%). However, obesity was more frequent among AAs (50%) than EAs (38%). Physical Activity (PA): CDC guideline adherence of ≥150 minutes/week of moderate PA was reported by only 32% of participants (25% of AAs, 41% of EAs; p = 0.10). A total of 28% reported no physical activity (30% of AAs and 24% of EAs, p = 0.47). Meeting CDC PA guidelines was associated with lower risk of being overweight/obese (OR = 0.41, p = 0.080), but this was statistically significant only among EAs (OR = 0.21, p = 0.035).

Conclusions: Prevalence of overweight/obesity is high, regardless of ethnicity, and physical activity is low in this group of breast cancer survivors. It is imperative to identify effective strategies to reduce overweight and obesity, and to increase PA, in order to reduce the risk of recurrence and improve survival. In this regard, the study team is developing an National Institutes of Health R01 grant application to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention, which combines a reduced-energy diet with increased PA, in reducing levels of cancer-related inflammatory biomarkers linked to breast cancer recurrence. Updated results of our on-going study, including associations of BMI and PA with breast cancer stage and phenotype, will be presented.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2013;73(24 Suppl): Abstract nr P5-12-11.