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Cancer Control Research

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): RO3 Abstract Cancer Survivors' Information Seeking and Lifestyle Behaviors More than 10.8 million cancer survivors live in the U. S., and this number is expected to grow dramatically as more survivors live longer and the population ages. Despite their high risk for cancer recurrence and new cancers, few cancer survivors are receiving adequate information about ways to reduce risk or manage the sequelae from their treatment and cancer. We need to find more effective ways to provide survivors with the information they need to promote health and reduce cancer risk. Understanding the variables influencing survivors' information seeking preferences, behaviors, and barriers is necessary to inform the design of targeted interventions to promote healthy lifestyles. The Comprehensive Model of Information Seeking will be the conceptual framework linking information seeking with health behaviors. The proposed study will be a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data to examine information seeking and lifestyle behaviors in 1800 cancer survivors collected by the National Cancer Institute's Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) from the general population in 2003, 2005 and 2007. The specific aims are to 1) compare cancer information seeking preferences and behaviors among cancer survivors and 2) compare lifestyle behaviors among cancer survivors. The research questions include: What are survivors' cancer information seeking preferences and behaviors and how do they differ by type of cancer? To what degree are cancer information seeking preferences and behaviors explained by demographics, cancer experience, and beliefs? What is the prevalence of tobacco use, low fruit and vegetable consumption, low physical activity, and overweight in survivors and how does it differ by type of cancer? To what degree are these lifestyle behaviors explained by demographics, cancer experience, and information seeking behaviors? For each preference and behavior, the proportion in each survivor group will be compared to the proportion in the combined remaining survivor groups by chi-square to indicate survivor groups that report relatively high or low levels of the preference or behavior. The effects of demographics, cancer experience, and beliefs on the likelihood of each preference and behavior will be examined by logistic regressions. The proposed study will integrate the most currently available HINTS data (2007) with two previous HINTS databases contributing to our growing understanding of lifestyle behaviors and factors that affect them in this vulnerable population, and will inform the development of health promotion interventions tailored to the needs of different groups of survivors. RO3 Project Narrative Cancer Survivors' Information Seeking and Lifestyle Behaviors More than 10.8 million cancer survivors live in the U. S. many of whom report poorer health, lower quality of life, more lost productivity, greater health limitations, and have a greater risk for developing other cancers than the general population. Despite their high risk for cancer recurrence and new cancers, few are receiving adequate information about ways to reduce their risk. The proposed study will examine information seeking and lifestyle behaviors in 1800 cancer survivors. Results will be used to develop health promotion interventions specific to the needs of different groups of survivors.