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University of Illinois Cancer Center member Jean Reading, PhD, is the corresponding author of a study funded by the National Cancer Institute and published in the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

The study, “Effects of a Physical Activity mHealth Intervention (Fit2Thrive) on WCRF/AICR Cancer Prevention Recommendations among Breast Cancer Survivors: A Secondary Data Analysis,” suggests that physical activity–focused digital interventions can influence certain health behaviors beyond exercise — especially dietary habits — highlighting the potential of mobile health applications in cancer survivorship care.

Researchers recommend expanding these interventions to incorporate cost-saving dietary components and exploring long-term effects on cancer outcomes.

Work on the study started when Reading was at Northwestern University before joining the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), where she is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Illinois College of Medicine.

Part of the Cancer Center’s Cancer Prevention and Control Research Program, Reading’s research leverages insights from the behavioral sciences to develop, implement and optimize digital health interventions addressing diet, physical activity and weight control for cancer survivors across the lifespan.

The other study authors are from the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern, the University of Alberta in Canada, and the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami, in Florida.