Lifestyle in Iranian Patients with Breast Cancer

One of the most commonly diagnosed cancers is breast cancer that leads to mortality and morbidity among Iranian women. Behavioural risk factors, such as common lifestyle patterns are often associated with risk of breast cancer incidence.

This study aimed to investigate lifestyle of breast cancer patients admitted to Cancer Research Center of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences.

This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using convenient sampling method. Sample size consisted of 150 cancer patients, and data collection tool included a researcher-made questionnaire on dimensions of lifestyle containing four dimensions of self-care, exercise and physical activity, diet and coping with stress. Maximum score in different dimensions, based on 100% of marks earned, was evaluated in three categories of undesirable, relatively desirable and desirable. Data were analysed with SPSS-19 software using descriptive statistics (relative and absolute frequencies, mean and standard deviation).

In total of 150 women, the mean age of patients was 51.9 ± 1.04 (27-78). The majority of participants were married, housewives, with high school education. Among the four parts of healthy lifestyle, desirable level of physical activity and exercise had the least participants, and in the dimensions of physical activity and exercise, the lowest level related to walking, followed by daily exercise. Most of the participants had undesirable level of self-care and lowest frequency related to mammography after 40-year-old, followed by annual check-up and Pap-smear. With regard to nutrition, most of them were at desirable level.

The results indicated undesirable levels in two lifestyle dimensions (self-care and physical activity and exercise) in the majority of participants for a year before contracting breast cancer. Primary prevention programs should be implemented with a comprehensive approach, thus, effective strategies are required to modify lifestyle.