Home-Based Physical Activity Intervention for Breast Cancer Patients Bernardine M. Pinto, Georita M. Frierson, Carolyn Rabin, Joseph J. Trunzo, and Bess H. Marcus A B S T R A C T Purpose The efficacy of a home-based physical activity (PA) intervention for early-stage breast cancer patients was evaluated in a randomized controlled trial. Patients and Methods Eighty-six sedentary women (mean age, 53.14 years; standard deviation, 9.70 years) who had completed treatment for stage 0 to II breast cancer were randomly assigned to a PA or contact control group. Participants in the PA group received 12 weeks of PA counseling (based on the Transtheoretical Model) delivered via telephone, as well as weekly exercise tip sheets. Assessments were conducted at baseline, after treatment (12 weeks), and 6 and 9 month after baseline follow-ups. The post-treatment outcomes are reported here. Results Analyses showed that, after treatment, the PA group reported significantly more total minutes of PA, more minutes of moderate-intensity PA, and higher energy expenditure per week than controls. The PA group also out-performed controls on a field test of fitness. Changes in PA were not reflected in objective activity monitoring. The PA group was more likely than controls to progress in motivational readiness for PA and to meet PA guidelines. No significant group differences were found in body mass index and percent body fat. Post-treatment group comparisons revealed significant improvements in vigor and a reduc- tion in fatigue in the PA group. There was a positive trend in intervention effects on overall mood and body esteem. Conclusion The intervention successfully increased PA and improved fitness and specific aspects of psychological well-being among early-stage breast cancer patients. The success of a home- based PA intervention has important implications for promoting recovery in this population. J Clin Oncol 23:3577-3587. © 2005 by American Society of Clinical Oncology INTRODUCTION Data indicate that the psychological and phys- ical sequelae of a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment can be significant and prolonged. 1-5 Many treatments for breast cancer are toxic in nature, increasing the risk for a number of medical problems and late treatment ef- fects such as neuropathy 6 and cardiovascular and pulmonary disease. 6-8 In addition, some breast cancer survivors report somatic com- plaints, such as chronic fatigue, 1,3 weight gain, 1 and difficulty sleeping, 3 that linger for months or years after the end of treatment. Physical activity (PA) has emerged as a viable intervention to attenuate many of these effects. 9,10 Unfortunately, studies indi- cate that most cancer patients either are not physically active or reduce PA during and after cancer treatment. 11-13 Those who adopt PA after treatment typically do not meet prediagnosis levels of PA 12,13 and are below recommended levels 14 of moderate- intensity or vigorous-intensity PA. 11 From the Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, Miriam Hospital and Brown Medical School, Providence; and Bryant College, Smithfield, RI. Submitted March 10, 2004; accepted March 18, 2005. Supported by National Cancer Institute grant No. CA 75452 (B.M.P.). Portions of this paper were presented at the 24th Annual Meeting of the Soci- ety of Behavioral Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, March 19-22, 2003. Authors’ disclosures of potential con- flicts of interest are found at the end of this article. Address reprint requests to Bernardine M. Pinto, PhD, The Miriam Hospital, Coro Bldg, Ste 500, One Hoppin St, Providence, RI 02903; e-mail: bpinto@lifespan.org. © 2005 by American Society of Clinical Oncology 0732-183X/05/2315-3577/$20.00 DOI: 10.1200/JCO.2005.03.080 JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY O R I G I N A L R E P O R T VOLUME 23  NUMBER 15  MAY 20 2005 3577 129.252.86.83 Information downloaded from jco.ascopubs.org and provided by at University of South Carolina on August 11, 2016 from Copyright © 2005 American Society of Clinical Oncology. All rights reserved.