Exploring Dietary Supplement Utilization Patterns Among African American Survivors of Prostate and Breast Cancer: A Cross-Sectional Analysis.

The majority of African American cancer survivors reported using at least one dietary supplement at baseline.

• 215 out of 337 survivors with baseline medication log data (63.80%) reported using at least one DS
• Total sample included 376 African American cancer survivors (130 PC; 246 BC)
• DS use was self-reported and categorized by type
• Data were leveraged from two large lifestyle intervention trial databases

Breast cancer survivors reported higher prevalence of dietary supplement use than prostate cancer survivors.

• 67.44% of breast cancer survivors reported using at least one DS
• 57.38% of prostate cancer survivors reported using at least one DS
• The sample included 246 breast cancer survivors and 130 prostate cancer survivors
• Both groups were African American participants in lifestyle intervention trials

Vitamin D ± calcium combinations, multivitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, Vitamin B12, and Vitamin C were the most frequently reported dietary supplements.

• These six supplement types represented the most common categories across both cancer survivor groups
• DS use was categorized by type from self-reported medication logs
• The findings reflect supplement use at baseline in lifestyle intervention trials

Total number of comorbidities significantly predicted increased dietary supplement use among both breast and prostate cancer survivors.

• Mean total comorbidities was 2.38 (SD = 1.66)
• Comorbidity count was a significant predictor in a logistic regression model examining associations between DS use and survivor characteristics
• This association was observed across both BC and PC survivor groups
• Comorbidities were assessed at baseline enrollment in lifestyle intervention trials

Educational attainment and diet quality were significantly associated with odds of dietary supplement use among prostate cancer survivors.

• Educational attainment of ≤12th grade versus graduate/professional education was significantly associated with lower odds of DS use for PC survivors
• High versus low diet quality was significantly associated with lower odds of DS use for PC survivors
• These associations were identified through logistic regression modeling
• Neither of these associations was replicated in the breast cancer survivor group

Moderate diet quality compared to low diet quality was significantly associated with higher odds of dietary supplement use among breast cancer survivors.

• Only diet quality (moderate vs. low) was significantly associated with higher odds of DS use in BC survivors
• This was the sole significant dietary or sociodemographic predictor identified for BC survivors in the logistic regression model
• The direction of the diet quality association differed between PC and BC survivor groups

African American survivors are underrepresented in health behavior research despite bearing a high burden of cancer disease.

• Cancers of the prostate and breast are among the most prevalent cancers in the United States
• Cancer survivor projections reach 22.5 million by 2030
• The authors characterized this study as uniquely examining DS use among African American cancer survivors
• The study leveraged two large databases to address this representation gap