Emotions, support sway exercise post-breast cancer

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Among women recovering from breast cancer, symptoms of depression are consistently associated with low physical activity, researchers report, while family support appears to reduce declines in physical activity over time.

Dr. Charles Emory at Ohio State University in Columbus and his colleagues initially assessed medical, psychological, and behavioral factors influencing physical activity among 227 breast cancer patients when the women were about 51 years old on average.

"Despite evidence of the benefits of physical activity for women with breast cancer, most women did not engage in a level consistent with public health recommendations," Emery told Reuters Health.

To identify factors associated with physical activity over the subsequent 5 years, the researchers repeated these assessments every 4 months during the first year, and every 6 months for the following 4 years. The team reports their findings in the journal Psycho-Oncology.

Initially, 20 percent of the women achieved or exceeded the goal of a minimum of 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity activity. At the one-year assessment, 37 percent of the women achieved the same level of activity.

However, Emery's group found just 18 percent of the women were meeting minimum physical activity recommendations after 5 years.

As noted, symptoms of depression showed a sustained negative impact on physical activity levels.

"Therefore, attention to depressive symptoms -- via treatment with psychotherapy, medication, or group support, for example -- would be an important first step toward rectifying the problem of low physical activity," Emery said.

The finding that supportive family members help breast cancer patients initiate and sustain physical activity points to an opportunity for doctors, Emery noted. Those treating breast cancer survivors could help them identify family member "exercise buddies," he said.

Summing up, the investigators say biological, psychological and social factors are important in helping women with breast cancer stay physically active.

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