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Relationships among attention function, exercise, and body mass index: a comparison between young breast cancer survivors and acquaintance controls
Author(s) -
Pradhan Kamnesh R.,
Stump Timothy E.,
Monahan Patrick,
Champion Victoria
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
psycho‐oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.41
H-Index - 137
eISSN - 1099-1611
pISSN - 1057-9249
DOI - 10.1002/pon.3598
Subject(s) - structural equation modeling , body mass index , breast cancer , anxiety , generalized estimating equation , confirmatory factor analysis , depression (economics) , medicine , psychology , clinical psychology , cancer , statistics , psychiatry , mathematics , economics , macroeconomics
Objective Although regular physical activity is associated with lower all‐cause and disease‐specific mortality among breast cancer survivors (BCS), most BCS do not meet its recommended guidelines. Attention function, a domain of cognition, is essential for daily tasks such as exercising, a form of planned physical activity. We tested the hypotheses that lower self‐reported attention function in BCS would be associated with less exercise and higher body mass index (BMI) by comparing a group of 505 young BCS (45 years or younger at diagnosis and 3–8 years post‐treatment) with 466 acquaintance controls (AC). Methods The groups were compared on self‐reported physical and psychological outcomes. Mplus software was used to perform confirmatory structural equation modeling with a robust maximum likelihood estimator to evaluate hypothesized relationships among variables. The criteria for good model fit were having root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) < 0.06, comparative fit index (CFI) > 0.95, and standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) < 0.08. Modification indices were used to better fit the model. Results The final model demonstrated good fit, with RMSEA = 0.05, CFI = 0.98, and SRMR = 0.03. After controlling for demographics, parameter estimates revealed that, compared with AC, young BCS reported worse attention function ( p < 0.001), more depressive symptoms ( p < 0.001), and more fatigue ( p < 0.001). Controlling for fatigue, depression, and anxiety, better attention function was associated with a greater likelihood of exercise in the past 3 months ( p = 0.039), which in turn was associated with a lower BMI ( p < 0.001). Conclusions The significant association between attention function and physical activity, if confirmed in a longitudinal study, will provide new targets for interventions aimed at improving physical activity and decreasing BMI among BCS. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.