Health Behaviors in Cervical Cancer Survivors and Associations with Quality of Life

• Published in: Clinical therapeutics 2016-03, Vol.38 (3), p.467-475
• Main Authors: Iyer, Neel S., MPH, Osann, Kathryn, PhD, Hsieh, Susie, PhD, Tucker, Jo A., PhD, Monk, Bradley J., MD, Nelson, Edward L., MD, Wenzel, Lari, PhD
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Alcohol; Alcohol Drinking - psychology; Anxiety - etiology; cancer; Cancer therapies; Cervical cancer; Counseling; Depression - etiology; Ethnicity; European Continental Ancestry Group; Exercise - psychology; Female; Guideline Adherence; Guidelines as Topic; Health Behavior; health behaviors; Hispanic Americans; Humans; Internal Medicine; Lifestyles; Marital status; Medical diagnosis; Medical Education; Medical prognosis; Middle Aged; Mortality; oncology; physical activity; quality of life; Quality of Life - psychology; Questionnaires; Risk factors; Smoking; Smoking - psychology; Stress, Psychological - etiology; Studies; Surveys and Questionnaires; Survivors - psychology; survivorship; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms - psychology; Womens health; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0149-2918; 1879-114X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.clinthera.2016.02.006

Abstract Purpose Improvement in health behaviors following cancer diagnosis may contribute to better prognosis and well-being. This study examines the prevalence of health behaviors in cervical cancer survivors who have completed treatment, and associations between health behaviors and quality of life (QOL). Methods We recruited 204 women who had completed treatment for cervical cancer to participate in a randomized counseling intervention. Participants provided information on health behaviors (smoking, physical activity, and alcohol consumption); QOL (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cervical questionnaire); and depression (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System), anxiety (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System), and distress (Brief Symptom Inventory) at baseline (9–30 months after diagnosis) and subsequent to the intervention. Data were analyzed using multivariate general linear models. Findings Participants ranged in age from 20 to 72 years at diagnosis (mean = 43 years), 41% were Hispanic, and 52% were non-Hispanic white. Three-fourths were stage 1 at diagnosis and 51% were treated with radiation with or without chemotherapy. At baseline, 15% of patients were current smokers, 4% reported alcohol consumption of >10 drinks per week, and 63% reported exercising