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 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.
['Bryant|Jamie|J|0000-0001-9378-5852', 'Turon|Heidi|H|', 'Mansfield|Elise|E|', 'Cameron|Emilie|E|', 'Dodd|Natalie|N|']
D000428:Alcohol Drinking D001315:Australia D000073116:Cancer Survivors D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies D004032:Diet D015444:Exercise D005260:Female D015438:Health Behavior D000070497:Healthy Lifestyle D006801:Humans D008019:Life Style D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D009369:Neoplasms D010353:Patient Education as Topic D012307:Risk Factors D012907:Smoking
Cancer survivor Smoking Alcohol Nutrition Physical activity