Cancer Article Swipe
YOU?
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· 2018
· Open Access
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· DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igy023.2599
· OA: W4248817078
Older breast cancer survivors are at risk for poor health outcomes related to decreased physical activity (PA). PA assessment during clinical encounters is appropriate, but can be limited by time constraints. We evaluated the use of a single question for PA screening. Twenty-seven older female breast cancer survivors (age: 58.3 ± 2.3 years; time since diagnosis: 6.3 ± 1.5 years) reported overall PA as not active, somewhat active, active or very active. Intensity was reported as hours per week of light, moderate, and vigorous PA using questions adapted from the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. We grouped participants as not/somewhat active (n=16) and active/very active (n=11) for comparison. There were no between-group differences in age or waist circumference, but women reporting higher activity levels had a trend for lower BMI (25.0 ± 1.2 vs. 28.5 ± 1.2 kg/m2, p=0.06). Furthermore, women with higher PA reported significantly more moderate (5.4 ± 1.1 vs. 1.0 ± 0.5 hours/week, p=0.001) and vigorous (2.3 ± 0.5 vs. 0.25 ± 0.2 hours/week, p<0.001) activity. We then conducted a Spearman correlation analysis. Overall PA was not significantly related to light activity, but was strongly related to moderate (r=0.71, p<0.01) and vigorous (r=0.72, p<0.01) activity. Based on our findings, a single question regarding overall PA predicts engagement in moderate and vigorous PA, which have been found to provide the greatest health benefits. Categorizing PA as described here is appropriate for screening in older breast cancer survivors during routine clinical encounters. Follow-up counselling should focus on moderate and vigorous PA to maximize benefits.
