1. Exploring changes in dietary intake, physical activity and body weight during chemotherapy in women with breast cancer
- Author
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Jeanne H.M. de Vries, Marjolein Visser, Irene M. van der Staaij, Maaike M.G.A. van den Berg, Renate M. Winkels, Anja J.Th.C.M. de Kruif, Ellen Kampman, Marije S. Koster, Michiel R. de Boer, Marjan J. Westerman, Methodology and Applied Biostatistics, APH - Health Behaviors & Chronic Diseases, APH - Aging & Later Life, APH - Quality of Care, Health Sciences, Nutrition and Health, APH - Societal Participation & Health, Epidemiology and Data Science, and Internal medicine
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,Gerontology ,Nutrition and Disease ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Appetite ,physical activity ,Medicine (miscellaneous) ,perceptions ,0302 clinical medicine ,Surveys and Questionnaires ,Voeding en Ziekte ,Longitudinal Studies ,Cancer ,Human Nutrition & Health ,media_common ,Nutrition and Dietetics ,Qualitative interviews ,Dietary intake ,Humane Voeding & Gezondheid ,Middle Aged ,Smell ,Lifestyle factors ,Taste ,Female ,Adult ,mixed methods ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Physical activity ,Antineoplastic Agents ,Breast Neoplasms ,030209 endocrinology & metabolism ,Body weight ,body weight ,03 medical and health sciences ,breast cancer ,Breast cancer ,SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being ,medicine ,Humans ,Exercise ,Aged ,VLAG ,Global Nutrition ,Wereldvoeding ,Chemotherapy ,030109 nutrition & dietetics ,business.industry ,medicine.disease ,Diet ,Energy Intake ,dietary intake ,business - Abstract
Background The present study aimed (i) to assess changes in dietary intake (DI), physical activity (PA) and body weight (BW) in breast cancer patients during chemotherapy; (ii) to describe how women explained, experienced and dealt with these potential changes; and (iii) to eventually develop lifestyle intervention strategies tailored to the women's personal needs during chemotherapy. Methods A longitudinal parallel mixed‐method design was used with quantitative assessment of changes in dietary intake (24‐h recall, Appetite, Hunger, Sensory Perception questionnaire), physical activity (Short Questionnaire to Assess Health‐enhancing physical activity, Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory) and BW (dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry), in addition to qualitative interviews with 25 women about these potential changes during chemotherapy. Results Most women who perceived eating less healthily with low energy intake (EI) and being less active before diagnosis continued to do so during chemotherapy, according to quantitative measurements. They struggled to maintain sufficient energy intake. Despite a lower than average reported EI, they unexpectedly gained weight and explained that fatigue made them even more inactive during chemotherapy. Active women usually managed to stay active because exercise was very important to them and made them feel good, although they also suffered from the side‐effects of chemotherapy. They found more ways to deal with taste, smell and appetite problems than women with a lower energy intake. Conclusions The combination of the quantitative and qualitative data provided more insight into the changes in dietary intake, physical activity and BW during chemotherapy. The women's explanations showed why some women remain active and others need support to deal with changes in lifestyle factors such as healthy nutrition and fatigue., In this longitudinal mixed‐method study, we quantitatively assessed changes in diet, physical activity and body weight, and qualitatively assessed how individual women with breast cancer experienced, explained, and responded to these changes during chemotherapy, enriching and clarifying the quantitative data. The findings showed that some women remained active with fewer dietary problems, while others struggled with adequate food intake, opportunities to be active, and experienced unexpected weight gain. Women with breast cancer need support to be active and to cope with fatigue, and they need help with their eating habits to develop lifestyle intervention strategies tailored to their personal needs during chemotherapy.
- Published
- 2021