Determinants of adherence to physical activity guidelines among overweight and obese African American breast cancer survivors: Implications for intervention approach.

Abstract

178 Background: Public health agencies encourage breast cancer survivors (BCSs) to follow their physical activity guidelines (PAGs). However, adherence to these guidelines is low. African American (AA) BCSs are more often overweight or obese and less likely than women of other races to report adherence to physical activity (PA) recommendations. To address the research question, “what prevents AA BCSs from following PAGs,” we examined socioeconomic, clinical, and psychosocial correlates with PA levels. Methods: AA women diagnosed and treated for breast cancer participating in a breast cancer support group (n = 191) completed a lifestyle assessment tool (LAT) capturing demographic characteristics; breast cancer diagnosis and treatment history; health-related quality of life (HR-QoL); weight history, including body mass index and post-diagnosis weight gain; and physical activity. Logistic regression and analysis of variance were used to determine whether these covariates were associated with meeting ( > 17.5 MET h/wk); partially meeting (8.75-17.5 MET h/wk); or not meeting ( < 8.75 MET h/wk) PAGs. Results: Preliminary results indicate that 44.44% of AA BCSs met PAGs. This percent is below the national average for AA women (56.5%) and white women (67.5%). Conclusions: Identifying factors that influence adherence to physical activity behaviors is important in developing effective interventions. These findings may help generate hypotheses for future research to undergird efforts to increase PA among AA BCSs.