BACKGROUND There is a need for culturally-relevant nutrition programs targeted to underserved cancer survivors. OBJECTIVE To examine the effect of a culturally-based approach to dietary change on increasing fruit/vegetable intake and decreasing fat intake among Hispanic breast cancer (BC) survivors. DESIGN Participants were randomized to intervention (IG) and control (CG) groups. Diet recalls, detailed interviews, fasting blood, and anthropometric measures were collected at baseline, 3-, 6- and 12-months. PARTICIPANTS/SETTING Hispanic women (n=70) with stage 0-III BC who completed adjuvant treatment and lived in New York City were randomized between April 2011 and March 2012. INTERVENTION The IG (n=34) participated in ¡Cocinar Para Su Salud! (¡CPSS!), a culturally-based 9-session (24-hours over 12 weeks) intervention including nutrition education, cooking classes and food shopping field trips. The CG (n=36) received written dietary recommendations for BC survivors. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Change at 6 months in daily fruit/vegetable servings and % calories from total fat. STATISTICAL ANALYSES Linear regression models adjusted for stratification factors and estimated marginal means were used to compare changes in diet from baseline to 3- and 6-months. RESULTS Baseline characteristics: mean age 56.6 years (SD 9.7), mean time since diagnosis 3.4 years (SD 2.7), mean BMI 30.9 kg/m2 (SD 6.0), 62.9% with annual household income ≤$15,000, average daily servings of all fruits/vegetables 5.3 (targeted fruits/vegetables 3.7 servings excluding legumes/juices/starchy vegetables/fried foods) and 27.7% of daily calories from fat. Over 60% in the IG attended ≥7/9 classes with overall study retention of 87% retention at 6 months. At month 6, the IG compared to CG reported an increase in mean servings of fruits/vegetables from baseline (all fruits/vegetables: +2.0 vs. −0.1, P=0.005; targeted fruits/vegetables: +2.7 vs. +0.5, P=0.002) and a non-significant decrease in % calories from fat (−7.5% vs. −4.4%, P=0.23) and weight (−2.5kg vs. +3.8kg, P=0.22). CONCLUSIONS ¡CPSS! was effective at increasing short-term fruit/vegetable intake in a diverse population of Hispanic BC survivors.

Purpose Little is known about Latina breast cancer survivors' social networks or their perceived social support to achieve and maintain a healthy diet. This paper describes the social networks and perceived support for healthy eating in a sample of breast cancer survivors of predominantly Dominican descent living in New York City. Methods Spanish-speaking Latina breast cancer survivors enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of a culturally-tailored dietary intervention. Social networks were assessed using Cohen's Social Network Index and a modified General Social Survey Social Networks Module that included assessments of shared health promoting behaviors. Perceived social support from family and friends for healthy, food-related behaviors was assessed. Results Participants' networks consisted predominantly of family and friends. Family members were more likely than other individuals to be identified as close network members. Participants were more likely to share food-related activities than exercise activities with close network members. Perceived social support for healthy eating was high, although perceived support from spouses and children was higher than support from friends. Despite high levels of perceived support, family was also identified as a barrier to eating healthy foods by nearly half of women. Conclusions Although friends are part of Latina breast cancer survivors' social networks, spouses and children may provide greater support for healthy eating than friends. Implications for Cancer Survivors Involving family members in dietary interventions for Latina breast cancer survivors may tap into positive sources of support for women, which could facilitate uptake and maintenance of healthy eating behaviors.

We developed a theory-based dietary change curriculum for Hispanic breast cancer survivors with the goal of testing the effects of the intervention on change in dietary intake of fruits/vegetables and fat in a randomized, clinical trial. Social cognitive theory and the transtheoretical model were used as theoretical frameworks to structure curriculum components using the Nutrition Education DESIGN Procedure. Formative assessments were conducted to identify facilitators and barriers common to Hispanic women and test the degree of difficulty and appropriateness of program materials. Focus groups provided valuable insight and informed preimplementation modifications to the dietary program. The result was a systematically planned, evidence-based, culturally tailored dietary intervention for Hispanic breast cancer survivors, ¡Cocinar Para Su Salud! (Cook for Your Health!). The methodology described here may serve as a framework for the development of future dietary interventions among diverse and minority populations. Short- and long-term study results will be reported elsewhere.

Background Among Hispanic breast cancer (BC) survivors, we examined the long-term effects of a short-term culturally-based dietary intervention on increasing fruits/vegetables (F/V), decreasing fat and changing biomarkers associated with BC recurrence risk. Methods Spanish-speaking women (n=70) with a history of stage 0-III BC who completed treatment were randomized to ¡Cocinar Para Su Salud! (n=34), a culturally-based 9-session program (24 hours over 12 weeks, including nutrition education, cooking classes, and food-shopping field trips), or a control group (n=36, written dietary recommendations for BC survivors). Diet recalls, fasting blood, and anthropometric measures were collected at baseline, 6, and 12 months. We report changes between groups at 12 months in dietary intake and biomarkers using 2-sample Wilcoxon t-tests and Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) models. Results At 12 months, the intervention group compared to the control group reported higher increases in mean daily F/V servings (total: +2.0 vs. −0.4; P=0.006), and non-significant decreases in percent calories from fat (−2.2% vs. −1.1%; P=0.69) and weight (−2.6 kg vs. −1.5 kg; P=0.56). Compared to controls, participants in the intervention group had higher increases in plasma lutein (+20.4% vs. −11.5%; P=0.002), and borderline significant increases in global DNA methylation (+0.8% vs. −0.5%; P=0.06). Conclusions The short-term ¡Cocinar Para Su Salud! program was effective at increasing long-term F/V intake in Hispanic BC survivors and changed biomarkers associated with BC recurrence risk. Impact It is possible for short-term behavioral interventions to have long-term effects on behaviors and biomarkers in minority cancer patient populations. Results can inform future study designs.

BACKGROUND There is a need for culturally-relevant nutrition programs targeted to underserved cancer survivors. OBJECTIVE To examine the effect of a culturally-based approach to dietary change on increasing fruit/vegetable intake and decreasing fat intake among Hispanic breast cancer (BC) survivors. DESIGN Participants were randomized to intervention (IG) and control (CG) groups. Diet recalls, detailed interviews, fasting blood, and anthropometric measures were collected at baseline, 3-, 6- and 12-months. PARTICIPANTS/SETTING Hispanic women (n=70) with stage 0-III BC who completed adjuvant treatment and lived in New York City were randomized between April 2011 and March 2012. INTERVENTION The IG (n=34) participated in ¡Cocinar Para Su Salud! (¡CPSS!), a culturally-based 9-session (24-hours over 12 weeks) intervention including nutrition education, cooking classes and food shopping field trips. The CG (n=36) received written dietary recommendations for BC survivors. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Change at 6 months in daily fruit/vegetable servings and % calories from total fat. STATISTICAL ANALYSES Linear regression models adjusted for stratification factors and estimated marginal means were used to compare changes in diet from baseline to 3- and 6-months. RESULTS Baseline characteristics: mean age 56.6 years (SD 9.7), mean time since diagnosis 3.4 years (SD 2.7), mean BMI 30.9 kg/m2 (SD 6.0), 62.9% with annual household income ≤$15,000, average daily servings of all fruits/vegetables 5.3 (targeted fruits/vegetables 3.7 servings excluding legumes/juices/starchy vegetables/fried foods) and 27.7% of daily calories from fat. Over 60% in the IG attended ≥7/9 classes with overall study retention of 87% retention at 6 months. At month 6, the IG compared to CG reported an increase in mean servings of fruits/vegetables from baseline (all fruits/vegetables: +2.0 vs. −0.1, P=0.005; targeted fruits/vegetables: +2.7 vs. +0.5, P=0.002) and a non-significant decrease in % calories from fat (−7.5% vs. −4.4%, P=0.23) and weight (−2.5kg vs. +3.8kg, P=0.22). CONCLUSIONS ¡CPSS! was effective at increasing short-term fruit/vegetable intake in a diverse population of Hispanic BC survivors.

PURPOSE To understand factors related to recruitment to behavioral intervention trials among Spanish-speaking urban Hispanic breast cancer (BC) survivors. METHODS Potentially eligible Hispanic BC survivors were recruited from the Columbia University Breast Oncology Clinic, signed informed consent, and completed a screening interview on demographics, medical history, acculturation (Short Acculturation Scale for Hispanics), quality of life (QOL), and perceived benefits/risks of research participation. Trial eligibility criteria included stage 0-III BC, completion of adjuvant treatment, Hispanic, fluency in Spanish, willing to be randomized to active arm (9-session in-person culturally-based ¡Cocinar para su salud! dietary modification program) or control arm (written materials). We compared characteristics between eligible women who did and did not enroll in the trial. RESULTS 102 women completed the screening interview and were eligible to participate. Overall mean age was 57.3±9.5 years, mean time since diagnosis was 3.4±2.1 years, 71% reported annual household income <$15,000 and mean acculturation index score was 1.6±0.6 (scale 1–5, low-high). Of the 102 women, 70 enrolled and 32 declined participation. Reasons stated for non-participation included lack of interest in dietary change, illness, and work constraints. Compared to women who enrolled, women who did not enroll were less likely to be employed (P=0.03) and more likely to only read/speak Spanish (P=0.02). Compared to women who enrolled, non-enrollers were more likely to state that research is costly to participants (P=0.03). CONCLUSION Lower participation was associated with unemployment, monolingualism, and the perception that research is costly to participants. Future behavioral intervention trials among minority BC survivors need to account for these and other factors that may be related to trial participation.

Future programs can target improving taste/snack preference for F/V to promote dietary change in Hispanic/Latina breast cancer survivors.

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