Poor overall health seems to be linked with worse outcomes for breast cancer survivors, reports the Health Day News.

According to the study done by researchers at the University of California San Diego Moores Cancer Center, data from almost 9,400 early stage breast cancer survivors participating in the After Breast Cancer Pooling Project showed that about half the women were in poor health. Results also presented that the higher the body mass index, the lower the physical health scores are.

The researchers also found that “breast cancer survivors with low health scores were less physically active, more likely to have sleep problems, had 50 percent higher rates of high blood pressure and diabetes, and were twice as likely to have arthritis.”

“Instead of looking at breast cancer survivors as a whole, we need to focus on the women with low physical health scores, those most at risk,” John P. Pierce, a professor of cancer prevention and associate director for population sciences at Moores Cancer Center, said in a statement.

“An increase of 5 percent in their physical health scores can reduce their risk. We can empower them to take charge of their health and thereby improve their chance of survival as well as their quality of life,” he added.

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