BACKGROUND
Overweight or obesity is a prognostic factor for breast cancer recurrence and breast cancer-related deaths. However, weight control is difficult for breast cancer survivors because of menopause, chemotherapy, anti-hormonal therapy, and psychological issues.
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to develop a 24-week mobile application-based human coaching program using Noom and evaluate its efficacy in breast cancer survivors who are overweight or obese.
METHODS
In this single-arm prospective cohort study, 130 breast cancer survivors with BMI ≥25 were enrolled and received a 24-week program including diet-, exercise-, and psychology-based contents with the trained human coach in Noom during 2019–2021. For a hyperactive group who joined more than 16 weeks, we evaluated weight, BMI, lipid level, bioimpedance, and Quality of Life at baseline, 6-month, and 12-month follow-up.
RESULTS
Among 130 breast cancer survivors, 101 (77.7%) and 93 (71.5%) completed the 6-month and 12-month follow-ups, respectively. In the hyperactive group (68/101, 67%), body weight and body mass index (BMI) significantly reduced (mean difference: -1.97 kg, 95% CI (confidence interval):-2.65–-1.26, P<0.001 and -0.86, 95% CI:-1.15–-0.56, P<0.001, respectively) at 6 months and maintained at 12 months without the yo-yo effect. Among the lipid panel, triglyceride (TG) levels decreased significantly (-34.13, 95% CI:-58.09- -10.17, P=0.006) and maintained at 12 months. With respect to bioimpedance components, skeletal muscle mass (SMM, kg), body fat mass (BFM, kg), percent body fat (PBF, %), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and visceral fat area (VFA, cm2) improved in the first 6 months. However, WHR and VFA increased during the next 6 months. Based on the EORTC QLQ C30 and BR 23, nausea or vomiting, constipation, body image, arm, and breast symptoms significantly improved during the first 6 months.
CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrated that a 24-week mobile application-based human coaching program is beneficial for controlling body weight, BMI, TG, and body composition in terms of bioimpedance for breast cancer survivors who are overweight or obese.
CLINICALTRIAL
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT 05506189