From surviving to thriving: a health and wellness colloquium for breast cancer survivors.

Recent evidence demonstrates that exercise training can provide numerous physical and psychosocial benefits for breast cancer (BCa) survivors. However, educational training programs designed to disseminate exercise training information to survivors are scarce. The From Surviving to Thriving (FST) Colloquium was a one-and-a-half-day event that featured presentations on wellness topics from fitness and health to the latest research in nutrition and exercise. Attendees filled out demographic questionnaires and feedback surveys to assess the impact of the Colloquium. Overall, the FST Colloquium was well received by BCa survivors and health care providers (HCPs). The majority of BCa survivors (84.4%) and HCPs (93.3%) rated their Colloquium experience as very good. Prior to attending the Colloquium, only 8.9% of BCa survivors rated their self-perceived knowledge of exercise and nutrition as excellent. After participation in the Colloquium, this increased to 44.4%. The Colloquium was also successful in influencing planned and actual behavior changes in BCa survivors.