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Lookup NU author(s): Professor Vera Araujo-SoaresORCiD, Professor Roderick Skinner, Dr Morven BrownORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2023 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.Background: Healthy behaviors, that is, engaging in regular physical activities, maintaining a healthy diet, limiting alcohol consumption, and avoiding tobacco and drug use, decrease the risk of developing late adverse health conditions in childhood cancer survivors. However, childhood cancer survivors may experience barriers to adopting and maintaining healthy behaviors. This study aimed to assess these barriers and facilitators to health behavior adoption and maintenance in childhood cancer survivors. Methods: A focus group (n = 12) and semi-structured telephone interviews (n = 20) were conducted with a selected sample of European and Dutch childhood cancer survivors, respectively. The Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) was used to inform the topic guide and analysis. Inductive thematic analysis was applied to identify categories relating to barriers and facilitators of health behavior adoption and maintenance, after which they were deductively mapped onto the TDF. Results: Ten TDF domains were identified in the data of which “Knowledge,” “Beliefs about consequences,” “Environmental context and resources,” and “Social influences” were most commonly reported. Childhood cancer survivors expressed a need for knowledge on the importance of healthy behaviors, possibly provided by healthcare professionals. They indicated physical and long-term benefits of healthy behaviors, available professional support, and a supporting and health-consciously minded work and social environment to be facilitators. Barriers were mostly related to a lack of available time and an unhealthy environment. Lastly, (social) media was perceived as both a barrier and a facilitator to healthy behaviors. Conclusion: This study has identified education and available professional support in health behaviors and the relevance of healthy behaviors for childhood cancer survivors as key opportunities for stimulating health behavior adoption in childhood cancer survivors. Incorporating health behavior support and interventions for this population should therefore be a high priority.
Author(s): Bouwman E, Pluijm SMF, Stollman I, Araujo-Soares V, Blijlevens NMA, Follin C, Winther JF, Hjorth L, Kepak T, Kepakova K, Kremer LCM, Muraca M, van der Pal HJH, Schneider C, Uyttebroeck A, Vercruysse G, Skinner R, Brown MC, Hermens RPMG, Loonen JJ
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Cancer Medicine
Year: 2023
Volume: 12
Issue: 11
Pages: 12749-12764
Print publication date: 01/06/2023
Online publication date: 07/04/2023
Acceptance date: 26/03/2023
Date deposited: 04/05/2023
ISSN (electronic): 2045-7634
Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Inc
URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/cam4.5911
DOI: 10.1002/cam4.5911
PubMed id: 37029537
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