Mind-body interventions have been shown to improve physical and mental health outcomes among cancer survivors, and African Americans have one of the highest cancer mortality rates of all racial/ ethnic groups, while often facing considerable barriers to quality healthcare. African American cancer survivorsreport difficulty accessing mind-body practices, and few studies have focusedexclusively on African American populations. The purpose of this integrative review is to explore the acceptability and use of mind-body interventions among African American cancer survivors. This review seeks to determine if current research indicates that mind-body interventions may be helpful in improving outcomes for African American cancer survivors. Search terms included: “African American,” “intervention,” “cancer,” “survivor,” “mind-body,” “focus group,” “complimentary medicine,” “integrative medicine,” “meditation,” “yoga,” and “mindfulness." The literature search resulted in 118 studies, of which 10 met the inclusion criteria. Inclusion critera were articles published in or after 2011 and written in the English language. Other reviews, meta-analyses, or studies without results were excluded. Results indicate that African American cancer survivors have expressed receptiveness to interventions incorporating mindfulness, meditation, yoga, Tai Chi, and other mind-body or complimentary/ alternative medicine interventions, but few studies have offered such interventions exclusively to African American breast cancer survivors. This review indicated that African American cancer survivors across demographic backgrounds are interested in and view mind-body practices as an acceptable way to improve quality of life, pain interference, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and physical health; however, the interventions should be culturally appropriate and accessible. In conclusion, despite a growing interest in mind-body interventions, African American communities are often unaware of opportunities to engage in these practices in their communities, andmind-body practices are inaccessible due to cost or geographical location. Additional research that offers such interventions specific to African American cancer survivors is warranted.
My research and scholarly career focuses on the multi-disciplinary evaluation of integrative medicine with a focus on mind-body exercise interventions, objective and subjective measures of symptom outcomes, and health disparities, all within a bio-behavioral approach to cancer survivorship. I currently serve as an Assistant Professor of Nursing at the University of Houston, College of Nursing, where I conduct research on the effectiveness of mind-body interventions to improve the quality of life of those affected by cancer. I have over 13 years of experience in the development and implementation of interventions focusing on mind- body interventions and symptom outcome assessment. My leadership in the field of health disparities and mind-body exercise research has been recognized internationally, and my commitment to translating my research to educate my peers is reflected through my position as Research Consultant for new research proposals for Houston Methodist West Hospital.
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