Adherence to American Cancer Society Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines Among Cancer Survivors

The American Cancer Society's (ACS's) nutrition and physical activity guidelines are intended to reduce morbidity and mortality among cancer survivors, but to our knowledge, adherence to these guidelines has not been systematically quantified.

To evaluate adherence to and factors associated with adherence to lifestyle modification guidelines among cancer survivors.

This cross-sectional study used data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System using survey administration years 2017 (surveys completed between January 2017 and March 2018), 2019 (surveys completed between January 2019 and December 2019), and 2021 (surveys completed between January 2021 and February 2022). The study included people who had completed cancer treatment at any point prior to the given survey administration year. Data were analyzed from September 19, 2022, to December 12, 2022.

The primary outcome was adherence to current ACS guidelines for physical activity, body mass index, alcohol use, and fruit and vegetable intake. Factors associated with adherence rates to the guidelines, including age, sex, race and ethnicity, location, and educational level, were evaluated using linear regression. Complex survey weights were used.

A total of 10 020 respondents (57% female; mean [SE] age, 64.2 [0.3] years) reported completion of cancer treatment, representing 2.7 million US individuals over 3 years. Of these respondents, 9121 completed questionnaires for all 4 metrics measured. A total of 72% (95% CI, 71%-74%) of cancer survivors met criteria for adequate physical activity, 68% (95% CI, 66%-69%) did not have obesity, 12% (95% CI, 11%-13%) ate adequate fruits and vegetables, and 50% (95% CI, 49%-52%) did not drink alcohol. In total, 4% (95% CI, 3%-4%) of cancer survivors adhered to all 4 guidelines, with the mean number of guidelines met being 2.0 (95% CI, 2.0-2.1). Factors associated with greater adherence included female sex, older age, Black race, higher educational level, and residence in Western US states.

In this cross-sectional study, 4% of cancer survivors fully adhered to current ACS recommendations. Improved understanding of guideline adherence and its determinants may guide oncologists and general internists in providing recommendations for their patients who have completed cancer treatments.