No abstract

This trial is the first with objective measurement and a comparison group to demonstrate that the introduction of a sit-stand workstation can substantially reduce office workers' sitting time both at the workplace and overall throughout the week.

Given their increased risk of second cancers and co-morbid chronic conditions, the lack of difference in behavioral risk factors confirms the need for a focus on improving the health behaviors of cancer survivors. Collaborative chronic disease management models may be particularly appropriate in this regard.

Background The benefits of an active lifestyle after a breast cancer diagnosis are well recognized, but the majority of survivors are insufficiently active. The ACTIVATE Trial examined the efficacy of an intervention (use of the Garmin Vivofit 2 activity monitor coupled with a behavioral feedback and goal‐setting session and 5 telephone‐delivered health coaching sessions) to increase moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and reduce sedentary behavior in breast cancer survivors. Methods This randomized controlled trial recruited 83 inactive, postmenopausal women diagnosed with stage I‐III breast cancer who had completed primary treatment. Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention group or to the control group, and the intervention was delivered over a 12‐week period. MVPA and sedentary behavior were measured with Actigraph and activPAL accelerometers at baseline (T1) and at the end of the intervention (T2). Results Retention in the trial was high, with 80 (96%) of participants completing T2 data collection. At T2, there was a significant between‐group difference in MVPA (69 min/wk; 95% CI = 22‐116) favoring the intervention group. The trial resulted in a statistically significant decrease in both total sitting time and prolonged bouts (≥20 min) of sitting, with between‐group reductions of 37 min/d (95% CI = −72 to −2) and 42 min/d (95% CI = −83 to −2), respectively, favoring the intervention group. Conclusion Results from the ACTIVATE Trial suggest that the use of wearable technology presents an inexpensive and scalable opportunity to facilitate more active lifestyles for cancer survivors. Whether or not such wearable technology‐based interventions can create sustainable behavioral change should be the subject of future research.

Obesity has been associated with poor health outcomes in breast cancer survivors. Thus, weight loss is recommended for overweight and obese survivors. We systematically reviewed studies (published up to July 2013) that evaluated behaviourally based, weight loss interventions in women with breast cancer exclusively. Completed randomized trials, single-arm trials and ongoing trials were reviewed. Within-group and between-group differences for weight loss were extracted, as was data on secondary outcomes, i.e. clinical biomarkers, patient-reported outcomes, adverse events. Ten completed randomized trials, four single-arm trials and five ongoing trials were identified. Statistically significant within-group weight loss was observed over periods of 2 to 18 months in 13 of the 14 trials, with six randomized and two single-arm trials observing mean weight loss ≥5%. Clinical biomarkers, psychosocial and patient-reported outcomes were measured in a small number of studies. No serious adverse events were reported. Only two trials assessed maintenance of intervention effects after the end-of-intervention and none reported on cost-effectiveness. The studies included in this review suggest that weight loss is feasible to achieve and is safe in women following treatment for breast cancer. Future studies should assess (and be powered for) a range of biomarker and patient-reported outcomes, and be designed to inform translation into practice.