ASPO Abstracts
Healthy lifestyle counseling discussions initiated by healthcare providers among older cancer patients: Results from a survey at 12 hospitals in the southeastern US
Category: Behavioral Science & Health Communication, Lifestyles Behavior, Energy Balance & Chemoprevention
Conference Year: 2018
Abstract Body:
Purpose: To explore characteristics of older cancer patients who reported healthy lifestyle discussions initiated by their providers in the southeastern US. Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of data from the Univ of Alabama at Birmingham Health System Cancer Community Network. Older patients (65+ yrs.) diagnosed after January 1, 2008 (N=1,460) were surveyed from 2013-2015 via telephone. Demographic information, cancer diagnosis characteristics, weight, height and healthy behavior data were collected. Patients were asked if their providers (an oncologist, another doctor and/or a nurse) engaged them in healthy lifestyle discussions and if so, which topics were discussed: exercise; healthy diet; vegetable consumption; weight loss; and/or smoking cessation. Descriptive statistics were computed for all variables of interest. Bivariate associations were conducted to explorethe frequency of lifestyle counseling topics discussed by healthcare providers as related to patient characteristics. Results: The mean age was 74 yrs.(SD 5.7), 60% were females, 81% were non-minority and 16% were newly diagnosed (<1 year). Among all respondents 49% reported engaging in discussions related to exercise, 53% tohealthy diets, 28% to vegetables consumption; among overweight 33% were advised to lose weight and among smokers 85% were advised to quit smoking. Younger patients (65-74 yrs.) were more likely to be advised on all healthy lifestyle topics as compared to older patients (75 yrs.), (48% vs. 38%). More females (30%) vs. males (25%) were advised to eat vegetables. Minority respondents (50%) reported being advised on exercise, healthy diet, vegetables and weight loss more frequently than non-minority participants (43%). With the exception of tobacco-use, survivors more proximal to their cancer diagnosis < 1 year vs. >1 year reported having more lifestyle discussions on lifestyle topics (43% vs. 35%).Conclusion: In general, healthcare providers might be overlooking the need for engaging older (75 yrs.), non-minority patients, and longer-term survivors in healthy lifestyle discussions; this need is exceptionally high among male patients in whom vegetableconsumption is not addressed. Additional studies are needed to explore reasons whydiscussions were so infrequent.
Keywords: Healthy lifestyle counseling, cancer, older adults