Healthy Lifestyle and Breast Cancer Risk in Palestinian Women: A Case-Control Study

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between a combined healthy lifestyle score and the risk of breast cancer (BC) in Palestinian women. A hospital-based case-control study compared 237 BC cases with confirmed diagnoses to 237 healthy controls. Women's lifestyle components were assessed using a validated questionnaire. A healthy lifestyle index (HLI) has been developed. We used logistic regression models to investigate the relationship between combined lifestyle scores and BC odds. The results revealed that HLI was significantly higher in the control group than in the study group. A higher HLI score was associated with a lower risk of BC in the multivariate analysis. The adjusted odds ratios (AOR) were 0.19 for all women, 0.15 for postmenopausal women, and 0.23 for premenopausal women when the HLI highest and lowest tertiles were compared. HLI score increases of one point resulted in a 41% reduction in the risk of BC for all women, a 42% reduction for postmenopausal and premenopausal women, and a 39% reduction for postmenopausal women. Women who live a healthy lifestyle, according to our findings, have a lower risk of breast cancer. BC prevention programs must promote long-term healthy food and lifestyle choices.