Latin dance and Qigong/Tai Chi effects on physical activity and body composition in breast cancer survivors: A pilot study

Authors: SOLTERO, ERICA - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC); LARKEY, LINDA - Arizona State University; KIM, WONSUN - Arizona State University; ROSALES CHAVEZ, JOSE - Arizona State University; LEE, REBECCA - Arizona State University

Submitted to: Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/12/2021
Publication Date: 2/15/2022
Citation: Soltero, E.G., Larkey, L.K., Kim, W.S., Rosales Chavez, J.B., Lee, R.E. 2022. Latin dance and Qigong/Tai Chi effects on physical activity and body composition in breast cancer survivors: A pilot study. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2022.101554.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2022.101554

Interpretive Summary: After treatment, breast cancer survivors experience increased weight gain and decreased physical activity due to post-treatment surveys including fatigue, depression, and limited mobility. Many traditional exercises may be too rigorous for breast cancer survivors and there is a need for feasible activity promotion strategies that are tailored to the needs of breast cancer survivors. The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the impact of two non-traditional forms of exercise, Latin dance and tai chi, on overall physical activity and body composition in breast cancer survivors. Latin dance and tai chi are engaging, culturally relevant forms of exercise that emphasize leisure and fun. Participants were randomized to a Latin dance or tai chi class and were asked to attend a one-hour class twice a week for eight weeks. Using a seven-day pedometer protocol we found that women in both groups modestly increased their daily steps at post-intervention. We did not observe any changes in body mass index; however, women in both groups significantly decreased their body fat. These findings suggest that meditative movements like tai chi and Latin dance are appropriate activities that may lead to overall increases in physical activity and may help decrease body fat, both of which are risk factors for cancer recurrence. While this work demonstrated that these activities are acceptable, further research is needed to identify the effectiveness of non-traditional forms of physical activity and potential use in younger populations.

Technical Abstract: Breast cancer survivors (BCS), particularly Latina BCS, experience weight gain and reduced physical activity (PA) post-treatment increasing the risk for recurrence. There is a lack of evidence on the intensity and type of PA needed to engage cultural subgroups and improve clinical outcomes. This study developed and piloted two non-traditional PA interventions among a diverse sample of BCS. Twenty BCS (65% Latina; age 25-75) participated in a 2-arm parallel group-randomized pilot study to test the effects of an 8-week Latin dance and Qigong/Tai Chi intervention on PA and body composition. A seven-day pedometer protocol was used to measure steps/week and a bioelectric impedence scale was used to assess BMI and %body fat. T-tests were used to examine preliminary outcomes across both interventions and within intervention arms. There were no significant changes in steps/week, BMI, or %body fat across or in each separate intervention. A small effect size for increase in steps/day was found among participants in the Qigong/Tai Chi arm (0.10) and low-to-moderate effect sizes for reductions in % body fat overall (0.36), and separately for participants in Latin dance (0.26) and Qigong/Tai chi (0.46). Latin dance and Qigong/Tai Chi are engaging and acceptable PA modalities that are promising for improving PA and body fat among diverse, high-risk BCS. Our findings highlight the need to continue to reach and engage high-risk BCS, including Latina survivors, using novel, culturally-sensitive PA interventions. Future studies should extend and more rigorously test these novel approaches to improving outcomes associated with recurrence.