Randomized pilot test of a lifestyle physical activity intervention for breast cancer survivors Karen Basen-Engquist a, * , Cindy L. Carmack Taylor a , Carol Rosenblum a , Murray A. Smith a , Eileen H. Shinn a , Anthony Greisinger b , Xylina Gregg c , Pamela Massey a , Vicente Valero a , Edgardo Rivera a a The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, USA b Kelsey Research Foundation, USA c Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, USA Received 25 June 2005; received in revised form 10 February 2006; accepted 13 February 2006 Abstract Objective: This paper will report the results of a pilot test of a 6-month, 21-session intervention to increase breast cancer survivors’ physical activity by teaching them to incorporate short periods of moderate activity into their daily routines (lifestyle intervention). The effect of the intervention on physical performance, quality of life, and physical activity are reported. Methods: Sixty breast cancer survivors were randomized to either a lifestyle intervention or a standard care control group. Physical performance, quality of life (Medical outcomes study short form-36 [SF-36]), and physical activity (7-day recall and motivation readiness), were assessed at baseline and 6 months. Results: The lifestyle group had significantly better performance in the 6-min walk task than the controls ( p = 0.005) at 6 months. The intervention had positive effects on the bodily pain ( p = 0.020) and general health ( p = 0.006) subscales from the SF-36. The lifestyle group had a greater motivational readiness for physical activity at 6-month than standard care, but no significant differences were seen between the two in terms of number of minutes of moderate or more intense physical activity or number of days on which they did 30 min of moderate or more intense activity. Conclusions: Despite the small sample size, the lifestyle intervention showed promise for improving physical functioning and quality of life and increasing physical activity, and should be tested in a larger randomized trial. Practice Implications: If the lifestyle approach is shown to be effective in a larger trial, it represents a highly feasible intervention that it can be delivered to cancer survivors by health care institutions or community organizations without dedicated exercise facilities and equipment. # 2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Breast cancer; Physical activity; Adherence; Cancer survivors; Quality of life; Physical functioning 1. Introduction Exercise improves breast cancer survivors’ physical and psychological functioning [1-4]; it may reduce the risk of cancer recurrence [5], second primary cancers and other chronic diseases [6-8], as well as prolong survival [5]. Research with cancer survivors has demonstrated that exercise increases muscle strength [9] and cardiovascular fitness [10,11], improves physical functioning [11,12], helps to control body weight [11], decrease body fat [13,14], and lower blood pressure [15]. Exercise may also alleviate symptoms that interfere with the daily life of cancer patients and survivors, such as fatigue [9,10,16-19], nausea [18], and sleep disturbance [12]. Associations between exercise and emotional well-being have been documented in observa- tional research [20,21] and quasi-experimental [18,22] and randomized studies [10,12,15,16] involving cancer patients www.elsevier.com/locate/pateducou Patient Education and Counseling 64 (2006) 225–234 * Corresponding author at: Department of Behavioral Science, The Uni- versity of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, P.O. Box 301439-Unit 1330, Houston, TX 77230-1439, USA. Tel.: +1 713 745 3123. E-mail address: kbasenen@mdanderson.org (K. Basen-Engquist). 0738-3991/$ – see front matter # 2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.pec.2006.02.006