BCERF Activities to Promote Healthy Eating and Active Lifestyles
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Barbour Warren, Ph.D.
BCERF Research Associate

BCERF activities to promote healthy eating and active lifestyles have four main components. These are 1) to critically evaluate relationships between diet and lifestyle factors and breast cancer risk, 2) to develop and test models for breast cancer risk reduction through interventions to increase opportunities for healthy eating and active living, 3) to communicate the results of our work to scientists, researchers and health professionals, and 4) to communicate with the public about breast cancer risk reduction.

Evaluating and Communicating the Research Literature

We conduct critical evaluations of the research literature on understanding the biology of breast cancer, on breast cancer risk, and on the association of diet, physical activity, and other health behaviors with breast cancer risk. These evaluations are communicated to scientists, researchers, and health professionals through detailed fact sheets. Each year we produce two or three fact sheets on different aspects of diet and lifestyle and how they are related to breast cancer risk. The fact sheets are the product of review and evaluation of all existing scientific literature related to the area of interest. Examples of recent fact sheets include the relationship to breast cancer risk of fruits and vegetables, herbal medicine, dietary carbohydrates and radiation exposure. We also produce quick summaries in the form of tip sheets on ways that consumers can use this information to reduce their risk. All of these educational materials can be found on the BCERF web site.

Small Steps are Easier Together: An Environmental Model for Prevention of Excess Weight Gain and Breast Cancer Risk Reduction

Obesity and overweight affect more than 60% of the U.S. adult population. Obesity is associated with a doubling of breast cancer risk, and has been attributed to 30% or more of all breast cancer cases. Excess body weight is also a breast cancer risk factor. Prevention of excess weight gain therefore has the potential to be an effective strategy for breast cancer risk reduction. We live in an environment where good tasting, high calorie food is plentiful and where little physical activity is necessary or encouraged. In fact, a number of recent changes in food and physical activity environments correlate well with recent increases in the prevalence of overweight and obesity among U.S. women. Examples of these changes include increases in portion sizes, soft drink consumption, the number of meals eaten out, and the amount of leisure time not involving physical activity. Most efforts to control body weight have been directed toward heavier persons and have used individual approaches including education, behavior modification and drugs. These individual approaches have met with limited success, and when successful, only reached a small proportion of the population. To prevent excess weight gain in the population we need to use strategies that affect the whole population.

In our study, we have taken a unique approach to breast cancer risk reduction. Our goal is to work with community members to make healthy eating and active living easier in community environments. Our program, called "Small Steps are Easier Together," uses a unique researcher and community collaboration, since local residents know best what will work in their communities. Working with community members, we carried out an assessment of healthy eating and active living opportunities in the community. We presented the results of this assessment to the community members and leaders. Community members identified program goals that were likely to be locally effective and succeed in increasing healthy eating and active living. The program goals were to increase walking steps by at least 2000 at least three times a week, and to increase the availability of healthy options at community events. We carried out this pilot study over three months in this rural community in the Catskill Mountains of New York State. In the study community, 315 women or about one third of local women joined one of 12 community walking teams. Led by their volunteer team leader, the members of the walking teams logged more than 70 million steps, the equivalent of about 30 thousand miles. About 20% of the participants met the goal of adding 2000 extra walking steps at least three times a week for a period of six weeks. In addition, community chef volunteers added healthy food options to 22 separate community events that reached 542 community residents. We are refining and applying this successful model in four more community settings in New York State. A tutorial for health professionals who wish to use our model in community environmental interventions is available on the BCERF web site at: http://envirocancer.cornell.edu/obesity/obesity.cfm

These activities are made possible by funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service and a grant from Paul and Merilyn Schreiber.

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BCERF Activities to Promote Healthy Eating and Active Lifestyles The Ribbon

BCERF Activities to Promote Healthy Eating and Active Lifestyles
The Ribbon