The impact of a cancer diagnosis on the health behaviors of cancer survivors and their family and friends

Abstract

Goals The aim of this study was to examine the effect of a cancer diagnosis on the health behaviors of cancer survivors and their family and friends, and to determine whether a cancer diagnosis could be a teachable moment for intervention. Materials and methods This was a cross-sectional study of the health behaviors of individuals taking part in a cancer fundraising event. The questionnaire was completed by 657 participants. Main results Participants were 81.4% women, had a mean age of 46 years, and comprised of 17.2% cancer survivors. For cancer survivors, 31.3% reported an increase in physical activity, 50% of smokers quit, and 59 to 72% reported dietary improvements within 1 month of diagnosis. Significant differences in behavior change were found by age, but not by gender or education. For individuals without cancer, 24.3% reported improved physical activity and the majority reported some dietary changes. A greater proportion of family and friends who perceived they were at greater risk of developing cancer increased physical activity and sun-smart behavior but did not improve dietary habits. Conclusions The results indicate that the cancer survivors made significantly more positive health behavior changes compared to the non-cancer group. For this sample, a personal diagnosis of cancer, or a diagnosis in a family member or friend, may have acted as a 'cue to action' to improve lifestyle health behaviors. This field of research is still at an early stage, and further studies are needed to confirm if this situation could be useful as a 'teachable moment' for intervention purposes. Abstract GoalsThe aim of this study was to examine the effect of a cancer diagnosis on the health behaviors of cancer survivors and their family and friends, and to determine whether a cancer diagnosis could be a teachable moment for intervention. Materials and methodsThis was a cross-sectional study of the health behaviors of individuals taking part in a cancer fundraising event. The questionnaire was completed by 657 participants. Main resultsParticipants were 81.4% women, had a mean age of 46 years, and comprised of 17.2% cancer survivors. For cancer survivors, 31.3% reported an increase in physical activity, 50% of smokers quit, and 59 to 72% reported dietary improvements within 1 month of diagnosis. Significant differences in behavior change were found by age, but not by gender or education. For individuals without cancer, 24.3% reported improved physical activity and the majority reported some dietary changes. A greater proportion of family and friends who perceived they were at greater risk of developing cancer increased physical activity and sun-smart behavior but did not improve dietary habits. ConclusionsThe results indicate that the cancer survivors made significantly more positive health behavior changes compared to the non-cancer group. For this sample, a personal diagnosis of cancer, or a diagnosis in a family member or friend, may have acted as a 'cue to action' to improve lifestyle health behaviors. This fi...

Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancer Have Poor Adherence to Dietary Guidelines

“…Older survivors had better diet quality than did younger survivors. Such an age effect was previously reported in cancer survivors (25)(26)(27)(28)and may partly reflect better dietary habits in older than in younger generations (i.e., cohort effect) or overall better health in survivors who survived longer (i.e., survivor bias) (29). Consistent with previous findings (25,28,(30)(31)(32), diet quality for male survivors and survivors with low educational attainment, who currently smoke, or who are obese was poor and these individuals may be viable targets for dietary interventions.…”

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Making Lifestyle Changes after Colorectal Cancer: Insights for Program Development

“…With the exception of respondents in the pre-treatment phase, respondents with crc reported making more lifestyle changes than did cancer-free controls. It could be that a cancer diagnosis provides a "teachable moment" for lifestyle change, as has been suggested by other studies 2,12,59 . When considering the 6 stages of change described by the ttm 17 , a cancer diagnosis may work as a cue to move some people from the "contemplative stage" to the subsequent "preparation" stage.…”

“…That finding was unexpected because previous studies had suggested that the timing of interventions and support might be important 2,12,58 . Furthermore, our results suggest that that the proportion of people at the preparation stage of the ttm may have been lower in the pre-treatment group than in the groups that had begun or completed treatment.…”

“…A cancer diagnosis may serve as a "teachable moment" for promoting lifestyle changes 4,12 . Satia et al reported significant increases in physical activity, vegetable intake, and supplement use 2 years after colon cancer diagnosis 13 .…”