Discussions About Lifestyle Risk Factors Following a Cancer Diagnosis: Findings from a Sample of Australian Cancer Outpatients

Individuals with a previous cancer diagnosis are at risk of cancer recurrence. However, many cancer survivors do not adhere to lifestyle recommendations to reduce cancer risk. Little is known about the extent to which cancer patients are asked about lifestyle risk factors by healthcare providers fol...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of cancer education 2020-12, Vol.35 (6), p.1170-1176
Main Authors: Bryant, Jamie, Turon, Heidi, Mansfield, Elise, Cameron, Emilie, Dodd, Natalie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alcohol
Alcohol Drinking - prevention & control
Australia - epidemiology
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Cancer
Cancer Research
Cancer Survivors - psychology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Diet
Drinking
Exercise
Female
Health Behavior
Healthy Lifestyle
Humans
Life Style
Lifestyles
Male
Medical diagnosis
Middle Aged
Neoplasms - diagnosis
Neoplasms - epidemiology
Neoplasms - psychology
Patient Education as Topic - methods
Patients
Pharmacology/Toxicology
Risk Factors
Smoking - trends
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Summary:Individuals with a previous cancer diagnosis are at risk of cancer recurrence. However, many cancer survivors do not adhere to lifestyle recommendations to reduce cancer risk. Little is known about the extent to which cancer patients are asked about lifestyle risk factors by healthcare providers following diagnosis. The aim of this study is to determine among Australian cancer survivors the (1) proportion asked about smoking, alcohol consumption, nutrition and physical activity; (2) total number of lifestyle risk factors asked about; and (3) factors associated with being asked about fewer risk factors. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with cancer patients attending outpatient clinics. Eligible patients completed a baseline survey and a second survey 4 weeks later. Data about demographic and disease characteristics, and whether participants had been asked about smoking, alcohol, physical activity and diet since being diagnosed with cancer, was collected. A total of 144 patients were included in the analyses. Following diagnosis, most had been asked about smoking (86%), alcohol consumption (85%), physical activity (80%) and diet (69%) by a healthcare provider. Sixty-one percent of participants reported being asked about all four risk factors; only 6% recalled being asked about none. After controlling for age, participants with a high school or lower education were more likely to be asked about fewer risk factors (OR 2.16; 95%CI 1.0 to 4.6; p  = 0.04) compared with those with a trade, vocational or university-level education. Just over one-third of a sample of Australian cancer patients were not asked about all assessed lifestyle risk factors following their diagnosis of cancer. These findings suggest there is scope to improve identification of lifestyle risk factors among cancer survivors.
ISSN:0885-8195
1543-0154
DOI:10.1007/s13187-019-01575-6