Study: Latina Breast Cancer Survivors Don’t Get Enough Physical Activity

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Breast cancer survivors were less likely to meet physical activity guidelines than women without cancer, according to a recent study in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

In addition, certain survivors, including Latinas, also had low rates of physical activity.

“Low physical activity participation among breast cancer survivors may be related to various clinical, demographic, and socioeconomic characteristics,” according to the study.

Let’s dive into this research and what it means for Latina breast cancer survivors.

Physical Activity and Survivorship

Setting fitness goals with physical activity is an important part of breast cancer survivorship.

“Research shows that getting to and staying at a healthy weight, eating right, and being physically active may help reduce the risk of other serious chronic diseases, as well as the risk of a second cancer,” according to the American Cancer Society.

The study, led by researchers at the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, the National Cancer Institute, and Virginia Commonwealth University, aimed to address the state of physical activity among survivors.

Researchers compared national-level estimates for meeting physical activity guidelines among breast cancer survivors and adult women without cancer across individual demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. These included age, race and ethnicity, poverty, education, employment, and homeownership.

Cancer survivors should get 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity with at least two days of muscle-strengthening physical activity each week.

However, only 20% to 54% of breast cancer survivors meet aerobic guidelines, while even fewer (12%) meet muscle-strengthening guidelines, according to the study.

Breast cancer survivors had a lower prevalence of meeting aerobic physical activity guidelines compared with adult women without breast cancer.

Among Latinas, the proportion of breast cancer survivors meeting aerobic guidelines was significantly lower than the proportion of Latina women without cancer (5.9% difference).

Similarly, the proportion of Latina breast cancer survivors meeting muscle-strengthening guidelines was significantly lower compared with the proportion of Latina women without cancer meeting muscle-strengthening guidelines (4.2% difference).

Barriers to Meeting Physical Activity

The proportion of Latina or Black breast cancer survivors who met aerobic guidelines was lower than the overall population of survivors.

Just as with the overall population, socioeconomic barriers like “education, income, employment, access to fitness facilities, and walkable/safe neighborhoods may also influence physical activity participation among breast cancer survivors,” according to the study.

Structural racism can play a major role in contributing to disparities in physical activity participation, especially when considering factors such as:

• Work hours
• Income
• Homeownership
• Living areas with limited access to green spaces or recreational areas
• Access to safe infrastructure
• Walkability
• Neighborhood crime rates

Along with having a lower percentage of meeting aerobic and muscle-strengthening guidelines, the study found that Latina and Black breast cancer survivors had lower than a high school education, lower family income, no health insurance, and lived in rented homes more than other survivors.

The study also highlights that breast cancer survivors report low awareness on the benefits of physical activity and high concern about additional risks associated with treatment, such as weight loss, anemia, and immunocompromisation.

This further shows the importance of creating and promoting targeted physical activity interventions for Latina and Black breast cancer survivors.

“Therefore, physical activity interventions that incorporate broader contextual factors associated with where women live and work may help address disparities in physical activity participation,” according to the study.

Exploring the Health of Your Community

Physical activity is just one factor that contributes to our health.

But what about the health of your community?

With Salud America!’s Health Equity Report Card, people can visualize and browse Latino-focused and local data with interactive maps and comparative gauges on a number of health-related topics such as housing, mental health, socioeconomic status, education, and more.

Search for your county and compare the results to other counties and states across the nation.

Share the results with local leaders and health organizations to advocate for health equity and start important conversations about health disparities in your community.

Get your Health Equity Report Card!