title: Diet and exercise intervention adherence and health-related outcomes among older long-term breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer survivors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Diet and exercise interventions for cancer survivors result in health benefits; however, few studies have examined health outcomes in relation to adherence.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We examined associations between adherence to components of a diet-exercise intervention and survivors' physical and mental health.
  
  
  METHODS
  A randomized controlled trial tested a telephone and mailed print intervention among 641 older, overweight, long-term survivors of breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer. Dietary and exercise behaviors were assessed at 14 time points throughout the year-long intervention; health outcomes were examined postintervention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Telephone session attendance had significant indirect relationships with health outcomes through intervention-period exercise and dietary behavior. Attendance showed positive indirect relationships with physical function (β = 0.11, p < 0.05), basic and advanced lower extremity function (β = 0.10, p < 0.05/β = 0.09, p < 0.05), and mental health (β = 0.05, p < 0.05), and a negative indirect relationship with body mass index (β = -0.06, p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Session attendance is vital in facilitating improvement in health behaviors and attendant outcomes (Clinicaltrials.gov number NCT00303875).
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, 402 North Blackford Street, LD 134, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA, jgwinger@iupui.edu.
authors.forename: Joseph G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Winger
authors.forename: Catherine E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Mosher
authors.forename: Kevin L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Rand
authors.forename: Miriam C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Morey
authors.forename: Denise C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Snyder
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Demark-Wahnefried
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D004032:Diet / Q000523:psychology*; D037001:Directive Counseling / Q000379:methods*; D015444:Exercise / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010809:Physical Fitness; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*