Prevalence and associated factors of poor lifestyle behaviours in survivors of childhood cancer: a PanCareFollowUp substudy.
In 777 childhood cancer survivors from four European countries, self-reported low physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, and drug use were prevalent to varying degrees and were associated with factors including sex, education, reduced physical health, pain, and fatigue.
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In 777 childhood cancer survivors from four European countries, self-reported low physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, and drug use were prevalent to varying degrees and were associated with factors including sex, education, reduced physical health, pain, and fatigue.
Research significance
The evidence identifies associations rather than treatment effects; it supports the hypothesis that country- and risk-tailored lifestyle interventions, potentially incorporating management of pain, fatigue, and reduced physical health, could improve health behaviours in childhood cancer survivors, but this requires prospective interventional testing.
Source abstract
PURPOSE: Poor lifestyle behaviours may contribute to the development or worsening of late effects after childhood cancer. The aims of this study were to determine the baseline prevalence and associated factors of poor lifestyle behaviours among childhood cancer survivors of the European PanCareFollowUp study cohort. METHODS: In Belgium, Sweden, Czechia, and Italy, 812 childhood cancer survivors were recruited. Outcomes were self-reported poor lifestyle behaviours, defined as low physical activity (<75 min of vigorous or <150 min of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week), current smoking (yes/no), alcohol consumption (≥3 units of alcohol per week), and drug use in the past year (yes/no). The prevalence of poor lifestyle behaviours was calculated and associations with sociodemographic characteristics, cancer history, physical health, pain, fatigue, and survivors' level of empowerment were estimated using multivariable logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: For these analyses, 777 participants were included, of whom 27% of survivors reported low physical activity, 15% smoked, 19% consumed ≥3 units of alcohol per week, and 9% used drugs in the past year. The smoking prevalence differed per country and was highest among survivors from Czechia (23%) and Italy (22%) and lowest in Belgium (10%) and Sweden (5%). Associated factors with any of the four poor lifestyle behaviours included male sex, lower educational attainment, reduced physical health, pain, and fatigue. CONCLUSIONS: Study results show that survivors in each of the four countries may benefit from personalised interventions to promote healthier behaviours, and that reduced physical health, pain, and fatigue may present modifiable targets. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: These findings can be used to develop targeted lifestyle interventions, thereby optimising survivors' lifestyle behaviours, health outcomes, and quality of life.