Characteristics of Users of the Cook for Your Life Website, an Online Nutrition Resource for Persons Affected by Cancer: Descriptive Study (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND Accessible, science-driven dietary and nutrition resources tailored for people affected by cancer are limited. Launched by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the Cook for Your Life (cookforyourlife.org) is a bilingual website providing science-based nutrition and culinary information for people affected by cancer. OBJECTIVE This paper describes the history of the Cook for Your Life website and information on its users based on an online survey and website utilization data. METHODS Starting in December 2020, Cook for Your Life website visitors ≥18 years old were invited to participate in an online English language survey. A Spanish version was offered in April 2021. Demographic, health status and behavior, and cooking characteristics were collected. Persons with a cancer history were asked a subset of questions about treatment and side effects. Data were analyzed through December 2021 on those completing at least 50% of the survey. Three groups were compared: people with a cancer diagnosis, primary caregivers of cancer survivors, and the general public. Website utilization data were also compared. RESULTS Among English language (EL) respondents, 3346 initiated the survey and 2665 (79.6%) completed at least half of the questions. Of these, 54.8% had a cancer diagnosis, 8.3% were caregivers, and 36.9% were from the general public. Most EL respondents were US residents (77.1%), with some from Europe (10.7%) and Canada (6.4%). Cancer survivors were most likely to be ≥55 years old, female, non-Hispanic white, have income >$100K, and be college educated. Caregivers and the general public were younger and more racially and geographically diverse. The two most common cancer histories among EL cancer survivors were breast (45.1%) and gastrointestinal (15.0%). Among Spanish language (SL) respondents, 942 initiated the survey and 681 (72.3%) were analyzed. Of these, 13.5% were cancer survivors, 6.8% caregivers, and 79.7% from the general public. SL respondents were also more likely to be female and highly educated, but were younger, from South/Latin America, and had income <$30K compared to EL respondents. Among SL cancer survivors, breast (33.3%) and gastrointestinal cancer (18.5%) were the most common diagnoses. Website utilization data on approximately 2.1 million users from December 2020 to December 2021 showed 58% of traffic in English and 42% in Spanish. Compared to online survey respondents, a higher proportion of overall website users were male, younger, and from South and Central America and Europe. CONCLUSIONS The Cook for Your Life website users were diverse in terms of demographic, socioeconomic, and geographic characteristics, especially among EL respondents without a cancer history and among all SL respondents. Research to improve knowledge about effective strategies to use this digital platform to improve cancer prevention and control through evidence-based nutrition strategies will continue.