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Health Behaviors of Breast Cancer Survivors Compared to the General Population: A Cross‐sectional Analysis of a diverse population
Author(s) -
Kim Hyunju,
Caulfield Laura
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.30.1_supplement.1168.8
Subject(s) - medicine , breast cancer , overweight , population , demography , odds ratio , pacific islanders , marital status , cross sectional study , gerontology , obesity , logistic regression , national health interview survey , cancer , odds , environmental health , pathology , sociology
A breast cancer diagnosis can be a potential ‘teachable’ moment as individuals may be particularly motivated to make positive behavior changes. However, it remains unclear whether breast cancer survivors’ smoking, diet, physical activity and weight status differ from those of the general population. There is also a lack of research on racially and ethnically diverse groups. The objective of this study was to compare health behaviors of breast cancer survivors to the general female population using a diverse state‐wide survey. We assessed four health behaviors (current smoker, ≤5 servings of fruits and vegetable intake per day, physical inactivity and overweight/obesity) of 1,028 breast cancer survivors and 23,869 females without a history of breast cancer in the 2005California Health Interview Survey (CHIS). We conducted multivariate logistic regression analyses adjusting for race/ethnicity, age, education, income, nativity, current insurance status and marital status. All models included sampling weights. Breast cancer survivors had significantly lower odds of smoking (OR= 0.39, 95% CI: 0.21, 0.74), but higher odds of physical inactivity (OR= 1.27, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.60) compared to those without a history of breast cancer. Non‐Hispanic White and Other race (Pacific Islander, American Indian, other single/multiple race) cancer survivors had significantly higher odds of inactivity (OR white =1.36, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.74; OR other =6.32, 95% CI: 1.38, 28.90). No significant associations were observed for dietary intake or weight status. In a large diverse sample, breast cancer survivors were less likely to smoke or exercise than non‐cancer controls. Some groups were particularly vulnerable to physical inactivity. Culturally sensitive health promotion interventions which focus on improving physical activity levels of breast cancer survivors are needed. Support or Funding Information None