| Approximately 267,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed among U.S. women this year, resulting in 40,200 deaths. Although these data implicate breast cancer as the number one diagnosed form of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death among women, survival rates are increasing. In fact, the 5-year relative survival rate for localized disease is 97%. Biomedically, these survivors are considered cured. Unfortunately, the toxic treatments for breast cancer often result in biopsychosocial consequences that impair health-related quality of life. Thus, it is important to find therapies to assist survivors in maintaining an enhanced health-related quality of life. Increased self-esteem and health-related physical fitness are strongly associated with enhanced health-related quality of life in breast cancer survivors. Presently, typical post treatment care available to breast cancer survivors primarily involves peer psychosocial support groups. However, such care neglects the physical limitations faced by survivors, leaving significant aspects of self-esteem and health-related physical fitness unaddressed. Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) is a form of exercise found to improve self-esteem and health-related physical fitness in healthy adults, but these effects have not been examined with breast cancer survivors. Thus, the purpose of this investigation was to compare the impact of TCC and psychosocial support interventions on the self-esteem and health-related physical fitness of breast cancer survivors using the exercise and self-esteem model as a guiding theoretical framework. Survivors participated in 3 months (12 weeks) of trials, with health-related physical fitness and self-perception assessments at baseline, midpoint and post-intervention. Results indicate that participants in the TCC condition improved in global self-esteem, physical self-worth, conditioning-esteem, Tai Chi self-efficacy, cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, and muscular strength. Support group participants improved in only conditioning-esteem, body-esteem, walking self-efficacy, muscular fitness and flexibility. Thus, Tai Chi provides breast cancer survivors with self-esteem and health-related physical fitness benefits above and beyond those obtained from a standard care support therapy program. |
