BACKGROUND: Home-based exercise interventions might be a desirable long-term option for breast cancer survivors to enhance compliance and long-term health benefits. PURPOSE(S): To assess the effectiveness of a home-based intervention aimed at helping survivors of breast cancer meet the physical activity guidelines of the American College of Sports Medicine. METHOD(S): Eighty-nine women (age 55.4 +/- 10 years; body mass index 31 +/- 6.5 kg/m2) from 2 cancer centers serving Hispanic women participated in this study. Women underwent a baseline assessment of cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle endurance and strength, flexibility, range of motion, and extremity disability. After baseline measures, women were randomized into a control or exercise group. The exercise intervention consisted of a walking program, elastic band strengthening, and flexibility exercises performed at home. The outcome measures were reassessed 16 weeks after baseline measures. RESULT(S): The intervention showed a strong effect of time on muscle strength and shoulder range of motion, and time and group for self-reported disability. There were no differences in sedentary behavior, physical fitness, and disability measures across intervention groups, including both exercise groups combined and changes over time between intervention groups. CONCLUSION(S): It appears that a home-based intervention affects only upper-body strength and related disability, indicating that other components might need closer monitoring for significant changes to occur across time.

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