Physical function and associations with diet and exercise: Results of a cross-sectional survey among elders with breast or prostate cancer.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Functional decline threatens independent living and is common among individuals
diagnosed with cancer, especially those who are elderly. The purpose of this study
was to explore whether dietary and exercise practices are associated with physical
function status among older cancer survivors. METHODS: Mailed surveys were used to
ascertain data on physical function, dietary fat, fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption,
and exercise among elderly diagnosed with early stage (I-II) breast (N = 286) or prostate
cancer (N = 402) within the past 18 months. RESULTS: Sixty-one percent of respondents
reported diets with <30% of energy from fat, 20.4% reported F&V intakes of 5+ daily
servings, and 44.6% reported regular vigorous exercise. Significant, independent associations
were found between physical functioning and reported dietary fat intake, F&V consumption,
and exercise. A simultaneous multiple regression model controlled for age, race, gender,
time since diagnosis and concurrent health behaviors yielded the following estimates:
(1) 0.2 increase in the SF-36 physical function subscale (PFS) score with each reported
1% decrease in percent energy from fat (p < .0001); (2) 0.9 increase in the SF-36
PFS score for each reported serving of F&V/day (p = .0049); and (3) 15.4 increase
in the SF-36 PFS score with a positive response for regular vigorous exercise (p <
.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Results of this cross-sectional survey suggest that regular vigorous
exercise and consumption of diets low in fat and rich in F&Vs are associated with
higher levels of physical functioning among older cancer survivors. Interventions
that promote healthful lifestyle change may deliver considerable benefit within this
ever increasing and vulnerable population.
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/14616Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1186/1479-5868-1-16Publication Info
Demark-Wahnefried, Wendy; Clipp, Elizabeth C; Morey, Miriam C; Pieper, Carl F; Sloane,
Richard; Snyder, Denise Clutter; & Cohen, Harvey J (2004). Physical function and associations with diet and exercise: Results of a cross-sectional
survey among elders with breast or prostate cancer. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act, 1(1). pp. 16. 10.1186/1479-5868-1-16. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/14616.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Harvey Jay Cohen
Walter Kempner Distinguished Professor of Medicine, in the School of Medicine
Dr. Cohen's research program includes clinical research relating to aspects of the
pathways to functional decline and reilience with aging, geriatric assessment, and
cancer and anemia in the elderly. Pathways to functional decline are being explored
through the NIA funded Claude Pepper Older Americans Independence Center, and includes
studies of the contributions of age related physiologic change, in particular changes
in inflammatory parameters, comorbid diseases and con
Wendy Demark-Wahnefried
Adjunct Professor in the School of Nursing
Miriam C. Morey
Professor Emeritus of Medicine
The general focus of Dr. Morey's work is exercise and aging. All of her research
examines how physical activity, exercise training, or physical fitness influence the
physical functioning and/or pyschosocial quality of life of older adults. She directs
a supervised hospital-based program for older adults, which is used to examine longitudinally
the effects of exercise training on the musculoskeletal, articular, and cardiorespiratory
systems. Furthermore, she has a number of studies that e
Carl F. Pieper
Professor of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics
Analytic Interests. 1) Issues in the Design of Medical Experiments: I explore the
use of reliability/generalizability models in experimental design. In addition to
incorporation of reliability, I study powering longitudinal trials with multiple outcomes
and substantial missing data using Mixed models. 2) Issues in the Analysis of Repeated
Measures Designs & Longitudinal Data: Use of Hierarchical Linear Models (HLM) or Mixed
Models in modeling trajectories of multipl
Denise Snyder
Assoc Dean, Clinical Research
Facilitating clinical research support and collaborations for Duke faculty, staff,
students and trainees. Revitalizing the clinical research professional workforce through
innovative initiatives to improve support for clinical research that changes clinical
care.
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