Eating Behaviors and Physical Activity versus the Big Five Personality Traits in Women with a Hereditary Predisposition to Breast or Ovarian Cancer

Abstract

The Big Five personality traits—neuroticism, extroversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness—represent continuous, individual features that affect a number of vital health aspects, including morbidity, self-reported health status, or lifestyle. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between the eating behaviors and engagement in physical activity of women with a hereditary predisposition to breast or ovarian cancer and the Big Five personality traits. A total of 357 women, participants of ‘The National Program for Families With Genetic/Familial High Risk for Cancer’, were included in the study. In the healthy group, the following statistically significant predictors were found in variables: agreeableness—meal frequency (β = 0.151; p = 0.030); neuroticism—consumption of fruits and vegetables (β = −0.177; p = 0.016) and cereal products (β = −0.223; p = 0.002); openness to experience—consumption of plant-based fats (β = 0.141; p = 0.034) and physical activity (β = 0.153; p = 0.021). In the cancer group, the frequency of dairy consumption (β = 0.286; p = 0.003) and physical activity (β = 0.370; p = 0.000) were found to be statistically significant predictors for the openness to experience variable. Neuroticism is associated with less frequent consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables as well as cereal products. Openness to experience was more often linked with a higher frequency of dairy consumption, plant-based fats, and physical activity. Women with breast or ovarian cancer and a higher openness to experience consumed dairy and engaged in physical activity more often than their peers with the remaining personality traits.