Table 3.
Perceived barriers to healthy eating and physical activity reported by 315 breast cancer survivors recruited through social media to complete the online version of the novel Cancer Survivors Adherence to Recommendations for Healthy Eating survey in 2016
| Perceived barriersa | All breast cancer survivors (n = 315) | Breast cancer survivors undergoing treatmentb (n = 111) | Breast cancer survivors who had completed treatment (n = 204) | P valuec |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| ||||
| Barriers to healthy eating | n (%) | |||
| Fatigue (lack of energy) | 227 (72.1) | 86 (77.5) | 141 (69.1) | 0.11 |
| Stress, depression, or reduced mental function | 219 (69.5) | 81 (73.0) | 138 (67.7) | 0.33 |
| Changes in taste preference during or after cancer treatment | 153 (48.6) | 62 (55.9) | 91 (44.6) | 0.06 |
| Craving unhealthy foods | 134 (42.5) | 50 (45.1) | 84 (41.2) | 0.50 |
| Loss of appetite | 99 (31.4) | 54 (48.7) | 45 (22.1) | <0.0001 |
| Healthy foods cost too much | 96 (30.5) | 36 (32.4) | 60 (29.4) | 0.58 |
| Lack of time to prepare healthy foods | 108 (34.3) | 34 (30.6) | 74 (36.3) | 0.31 |
| Friends and family do not eat healthy foods | 92 (29.2) | 30 (27.0) | 62 (30.4) | 0.53 |
| Hard to find healthy foods when dining out | 93 (29.5) | 38 (34.2) | 55 (27.0) | 0.18 |
| Do not like taste of healthy foods | 46 (14.6) | 18 (16.2) | 28 (13.7) | 0.55 |
| Gastrointestinal discomfort (diarrhea, nausea, vomiting) | 34 (10.8) | 19 (17.1) | 15 (7.4) | <0.01 |
| Do not know how to make healthy food choices | 41 (13.0) | 16 (14.4) | 25 (12.3) | 0.59 |
| Healthy foods not available at home | 37 (11.8) | 18 (16.2) | 19 (9.3) | 0.07 |
| Reduced physical functioning due to cancer treatment or other health conditions | 4 (1.3) | 1 (0.9) | 3 (1.5) | 0.67 |
| Pain | 8 (2.5) | 3 (2.7) | 5 (2.5) | 0.89 |
| Barriers to physical activity | ||||
| Fatigue (lack of energy) | 207 (65.7) | 81 (73.0) | 126 (61.8) | 0.05 |
| Pain or discomfort | 169 (53.7) | 70 (63.1) | 99 (48.5) | 0.01 |
| No willpower | 115 (36.5) | 44 (39.6) | 71 (34.8) | 0.39 |
| Lack of time (too busy) | 112 (35.6) | 31 (27.9) | 81 (39.7) | 0.04 |
| Rather watch television, use computer or tablets, or read | 108 (34.3) | 34 (30.6) | 74 (36.3) | 0.31 |
| Fear of injury | 88 (27.9) | 35 (31.5) | 53 (26.0) | 0.29 |
| Do not enjoy it | 83 (26.4) | 27 (24.3) | 56 (27.5) | 0.55 |
| No one to exercise with | 73 (23.2) | 28 (25.2) | 45 (22.1) | 0.52 |
| Do not belong to gym or have access to equipment or coach | 64 (20.3) | 27 (24.3) | 37 (18.1) | 0.19 |
| Exercise is not a priority | 63 (20.0) | 19 (17.1) | 44 (21.6) | 0.35 |
| Do not know the best way to exercise | 50 (15.9) | 21 (18.9) | 29 (14.2) | 0.28 |
| Reduced physical functioning due to cancer treatment or other health conditions | 26 (8.3) | 6 (5.4) | 20 (9.6) | 0.18 |
| Stress, depression, or reduced mental functioning | 7 (2.2) | 3 (2.7) | 4 (2.0) | 0.67 |
a
Questions on perceived barriers were adapted from reported barriers by cancer survivors and the general population from the published literature.14,15
b
Breast cancer survivors undergoing treatment included 110 who were currently receiving treatment and 1 who were waiting for treatment to start.
c
P value corresponded to the comparison between cancer survivors who were undergoing treatment and those who had completed treatment.