Exercise and relaxation intervention for breast cancer survivors: feasibility, acceptability and effects

Although evidence mounts regarding the beneficial effects of physical activity (PA) interventions for breast cancer survivors, not all interventions have produced significant improvement in mood. Relaxation training may be a promising strategy for enhancing mood effects from these interventions. The goals of Be Calm and Move On were to assess the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary effects of a 12-week combined PA and relaxation intervention for breast cancer survivors.

Twenty-three early-stage breast cancer survivors were enrolled and 19 were retained for the intervention and 12- and 24-week follow-ups. Participants received a theoretically grounded intervention delivered via telephone.

Participant evaluations of the intervention indicated that it was feasible and acceptable (e.g. 100% would recommend it to others); objective data further supported its feasibility (e.g. 83% completed the trial, 91% of intervention calls were received). In addition, when comparing 12- and 24-week follow-up data to baseline data, participants demonstrated significantly increased PA, improved mood and sleep quality, and reduced fatigue (p's<0.05).

Thus, this pilot study suggests that the intervention is feasible and acceptable and produces promising effects on mood, sleep, and fatigue.