Physical activity and psychosocial benefits among breast cancer patients

Physical activity (PA) has been shown to provide health benefits for breast cancer patients. The effects of augmenting oncology healthcare provider (HCP) advice for PA with 3 months of telephone counseling versus contact control were evaluated in a randomized trial. Our goal in this secondary analysis was to examine the amount of PA (min/week) needed for psychosocial benefits among both groups.

After receiving brief HCP advice to become physically active, 192 women (age in years: mean = 60.0, SD = 9.9) who had completed treatment for Stage 0-IV breast cancer were randomized to telephone counseling to support PA (n = 106) or contact control (n = 86). Their PA, fatigue, physical functioning, and quality of life were assessed at baseline (before receiving HCP advice), 3, 6, and 12 months. A non-randomized design was used to examine the dose-response relationship between PA and psychosocial outcomes.

Exercising for at least 150 min/week at moderate intensity was associated with improved physical functioning (b = 5.9, SE = 2.9, p = 0.04) and quality of life (b = 3.6, SE = 1.9, p = 0.05) at 3 months. These relationships were not found at 6 and 12 months (p's > 0.05). However, women who reported at least 150 min/week of PA at both 3 and 6 months had significantly reduced fatigue (b = 1.3, SE = 0.7, p = 0.05) and improved physical functioning (b = 3.1, SE = 1.3, p = 0.02) and quality of life (b = 2.0, SE = 0.9, p = 0.02) compared with women who did not meet this criterion.

Women who exercised at recommended levels (at least 150 min/week) and sustained this level of activity for at least 6 months accrued psychosocial benefits.