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Social-cognitive, demographic, clinical, and health-related correlates of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in newly diagnosed women with breast cancer

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Abstract

Purpose

Identifying correlates of physical activity and sedentary behaviour allows for the identification of factors that may be targeted in future behaviour change interventions. This study sought to determine the social-cognitive, demographic, clinical, and health-related correlates of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in individuals recently diagnosed with breast cancer.

Methods

Data were collected from 1381 participants within 90 days of diagnosis in the Alberta Moving Beyond Breast Cancer (AMBER) Cohort Study. Physical activity and sedentary behaviour were measured with ActiGraph GT3X+® and activPALTM devices, respectively, for seven consecutive days. Correlates were collected via a self-reported questionnaire, medical record extraction, or measured by staff.

Results

Multivariable models were fitted for sedentary behaviour, light physical activity, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Greater sedentary behaviour was associated with higher body fat percentage (BF%) (ß=0.044; p<0.001) and being single (ß=0.542; p<0.002). Lower light physical activity was associated with higher BF% (ß=−0.044; p<0.001), higher body mass index (ß=−0.039; p<0.001), greater disease barrier influence (ß=−0.006; p<0.001), a HER2-positive diagnosis (ß=−0.278; p=0.001), and being single (ß=−0.385; p= 0.001). Lower moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was associated with higher BF% (ß =−0.011; p=0.001), greater disease barrier influence (ß=−0.002; p<0.001), and being of Asian (ß=−0.189; p=0.002) or Indian/South American (ß=−0.189; p=0.002) descent. Greater moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was associated with having greater intentions (ß=0.049; p=0.033) and planning (ß=0.026; p=0.015) towards physical activity.

Conclusion

Tailoring interventions to increase physical activity for individuals recently diagnosed with breast cancer may improve long-term outcomes across the breast cancer continuum.

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Data availability

Data can be made available upon reasonable request.

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Funding

This study was funded by a Team Grant (#107534), a Project Grant (#155952), and a Foundation Grant (#159927) from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

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Authors

Contributions

Chad W. Wagoner and S. Nicole Culos-Reed contributed to material preparation, formal analysis, and main text writing. S. Nicole Culos-Reed, Christine M. Friedenreich, Jeff K. Vallance, Margaret L. McNeely, and Kerry S. Courneya contributed to study conceptualization. S. Nicole Culos-Reed, Christine M. Friedenreich, Jeff K. Vallance, Margaret L. McNeely, Kerry S. Courneya, and Charles E. Matthews contributed to the methodology. Qinggang Wang, Leanne Dickau, and Andria Morielli contributed to project administration and data curation. All authors reviewed and edited the submitted manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chad W. Wagoner.

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Ethics approval

This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Approval was granted by the Health Research Ethics Board of Alberta: Cancer Committee (HREBA.CC-17-05076).

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Informed consent was obtained from all participants included in the study.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Wagoner, C.W., Friedenreich, C.M., Courneya, K.S. et al. Social-cognitive, demographic, clinical, and health-related correlates of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in newly diagnosed women with breast cancer. Support Care Cancer 31, 537 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-023-08001-0

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