Exploring Body Image In Breast Cancer

Abstract

Treatments for breast cancer are invasive, causing visible changes such as loss of the breast, weight gain, and hair loss. These changes in conjunction with the societal pressure for women to conform to feminine beauty ideals may lead to body image disturbance in breast cancer survivors (BCS). Exercise is a positive health strategy that has shown promise in improving body image perception in both general and cancer populations. PURPOSE: To determine the prevalence of body image and body weight concerns in BCS participating in an exercise program and to see if a program focussing on fitness and cancer related symptoms results in improvements in self-reported body image and body weight. METHODS: The study took place at Wellspring Edmonton; a nonprofit centre that offers supportive programs to meet the psychological, emotional and educational needs of individuals and families living with cancer in Canada. Participants were BCS taking part in the Alberta Cancer Exercise (ACE) Program at the Wellspring site, twice weekly for 12 weeks. Patient-reported outcomes, including questions related to body appearance and weight concerns were collected before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed to compare the proportion of women reporting issues at baseline and post-intervention. Data collection began January 2017 and ended June 2019. RESULTS: Eighty-six BCS enrolled and completed the ACE program (100%), with an exercise attendance rate of 84%. Twenty-five (29%) BCS reported body appearance disturbance and 42 (49%) reported issues with body weight. Significant reductions were seen post-intervention in the proportion of BCS reporting issues with both body appearance (n = 14; p<0.05) and body weight (n=31; p<0.05), representing reductions of 44% and 26% respectively. Similar to findings of previous research, no significant changes (p >0.05) were observed in BMI or body weight. CONCLUSION: Issues with body appearance and weight are common among BCS at our Wellspring site. Although benefit was seen in some BCS from exercise alone; given that body image can affect BCS physically, psychologically and socially, research involving a multi-disciplinary approach is warranted. Wellspring provides an ideal setting for future research involving multimodal interventions. Supported by the University of Alberta