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Physical activity at age 12 and adult breast cancer risk (United States)

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Abstract

Objectives: Some epidemiologic studies suggest that adolescent physical activity reduces subsequent breast cancer risk. To examine this question further, we analyzed data on physical activity at age 12 that had been collected as part of the Carolina Breast Cancer Study (CBCS).

Methods: The CBCS is a population-based, case-control study of 527 white and 337 African-American cases and 790 controls, frequency-matched on age and race. Respondents were asked whether, and to what extent, they engaged in four specific activities at age 12 (walking to school, biking to school, competitive training, performing vigorous household chores).

Results: Women who reported participation in any of the four activities had a modest reduction in breast cancer risk (odds ratio (OR): 0.8, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.6–1.0). Using an index measuring approximate number of activity episodes per week, analyses revealed modest inverse relationships for nearly all levels of activity relative to no reported activity; a weighting of the index by metabolic equivalent scores produced similar results.

Conclusions: Our findings support the hypothesis that adolescent physical activity may protect against adult breast cancer, even at moderate levels.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biometry Branch Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, Executive Plaza North, Room 344, MSC 7354, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA

    Pamela M. Marcus

  2. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA

    Pamela M. Marcus, Beth Newman, Patricia G. Moorman, Robert C. Millikan & Bahjat Qaqish

  3. Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA

    Patricia G. Moorman

  4. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27709, USA

    Donna Day Baird

  5. Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, CA, 94611, USA

    Barbara Sternfeld

Authors
  1. Pamela M. Marcus
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  2. Beth Newman
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  3. Patricia G. Moorman
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  4. Robert C. Millikan
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  5. Donna Day Baird
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  6. Bahjat Qaqish
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  7. Barbara Sternfeld
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Marcus, P.M., Newman, B., Moorman, P.G. et al. Physical activity at age 12 and adult breast cancer risk (United States). Cancer Causes Control 10, 293–302 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008971417282

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