Background: There is limited evidence depicting ways that behavioral theory and techniques have been incorporated into cancer rehabilitation interventions. Examining their use within cancer rehabilitation interventions may provide insight into the active ingredients that can maximize patient engagement and intervention effectiveness.
Aim: This secondary analysis aimed to describe the use of behavior change theory and behavior change techniques (BCTs) in two previously conducted systematic reviews of cancer rehabilitation interventions.
Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer predisposition syndromes often experience significant physical and psychosocial burdens. These burdens include cancer worry and potentially distressing bodily changes due to risk-reducing procedures (e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIndividuals with inherited cancer syndromes, such as Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS), may be motivated to adopt health-protective behaviors, such as eating more fruits and vegetables and increasing physical activity. Examining these health behaviors among young people with high lifetime genetic cancer risk may provide important insights to guide future behavioral interventions that aim to improve health-related quality of life (HRQOL). We used a self-regulatory framework to investigate relationships among diet and physical activity behaviors and psychosocial constructs (e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: This study sought to identify groups of colorectal cancer patients based upon trajectories of fatigue and examine how demographic, clinical and behavioural risk factors differentiate these groups.
Method: Patients were from six cancer centres in the United States and Germany. Fatigue was measured using the fatigue subscale of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) at five time points (baseline/enrolment and 3, 6, 12 and 24 months after diagnosis).
OTJR (Thorofare N J)
October 2023
Fatigue is one of the most burdensome and disabling symptoms in numerous acute and chronic conditions and is associated with reduced participation in all aspects of daily life, for example, parenting, employment, and socialization. Historically, occupational practitioners played key roles in fatigue management by creating and implementing interventions. The American Occupational Therapy Foundation convened a Planning Grant Collective workshop with the goal to develop collaborative research ideas and proposals to advance the understanding and management of fatigue.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWhile the COVID-19 pandemic introduced wide expansion of telehealth access in health care, evidence concerning telehealth use in occupational therapy (OT) for cancer survivors remains limited. The objective of this study was to identify the prevalence and perceptions of telehealth services among occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) in oncology. Descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis were used to analyze data from a pre-pandemic national survey of OTPs ( = 126) focusing on telehealth.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPsychooncology
March 2023
Objectives: Adolescents and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors face unique medical and psychosocial sequalae, including chronic health conditions, late effects of treatment and fear of recurrence. The meaning of cancer survivorship may be further complicated for AYAs with hereditary cancer predisposition syndromes. This study used a patient-centered framework to investigate how AYAs with Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) consider cancer survivorship.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: This qualitative-descriptive study explored adolescent and young adult (AYA) perspectives, experiences, and challenges with openness and closedness in family communication about Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS).
Methods: We conducted interviews with AYAs (aged 15-39 years) with LFS enrolled in the National Cancer Institute's LFS study (NCT01443468). An interprofessional clinician-researcher team analyzed transcribed data using the constant comparative method and interpretive description.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between loneliness and cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) in a cohort of breast cancer survivors.
Methods: Female breast cancer survivors (stage I-III) reporting cognitive impairments 2 months to 5 years after chemotherapy ( = 61) participated in a prospective, nonblinded, waitlist-controlled pilot study. The intervention was a tailored cognitive rehabilitation program.
A major gap impeding development of new treatments for cancer-related fatigue is an inadequate understanding of the complex biological, clinical, demographic, and lifestyle mechanisms underlying fatigue. In this paper, we describe a new application of a comprehensive model for cancer-related fatigue: the predisposing, precipitating, and perpetuating (3P) factors model. This model framework outlined herein, which incorporates the emerging field of metabolomics, may help to frame a more in-depth analysis of the etiology of cancer-related fatigue as well as a broader and more personalized set of approaches to the clinical treatment of fatigue in oncology care.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCancer-related fatigue (CRF) is considered one of the most frequent and distressing symptoms for cancer survivors. Despite its high prevalence, factors that predispose, precipitate, and perpetuate CRF are poorly understood. Emerging research focuses on cancer and treatment-related nutritional complications, changes in body composition, and nutritional deficiencies that can compound CRF.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To examine if the relationship between neuroticism and physician avoidance/physician visit concerns are mediated by perceptions that cancer is associated with death ("cancer mortality salience"; CMS) for cancer survivors to inform public health interventions and tailored health communications.
Methods: Cancer survivors comprised 42.3% of the total sample (n = 525).
Purpose: As the cancer survivor population increases, diminished health care provider capacity will place more responsibility on survivors to obtain health information. Many survivors search for cancer information online, yet there is a dearth of research on how survivors obtain and engage with this information. This study examined cancer survivors' information-seeking behaviors and perceptions during a self-guided online search task.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To assess the extent to which spiritual well-being moderates the relationship between anxiety and physical well-being in a diverse, community-based cohort of newly diagnosed cancer survivors.
Methods: Data originated from the Measuring Your Health (MY-Health) study cohort (n = 5506), comprising people assessed within 6-13 months of cancer diagnosis. Life meaning/peace was assessed using the 8-item subscale of the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (FACIT-Sp-12).
Cancer-related cognitive decline (CRCD) may have particularly significant consequences for older adults, impacting their functional and physical abilities, level of independence, ability to make decisions, treatment adherence, overall quality of life, and ultimately survival. In honor of Dr. Hurria's work we explore and examine multiple types of screening, assessment and non-pharmacologic treatments for CRCD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFParticipation refers to a state of health in which a person is able to fully engage in roles and life situations. Adults living with and beyond cancer often report persistent participation restrictions that affect their productivity and quality of life. The American Occupational Therapy Foundation convened a group of scientists from seven different disciplines in a Planning Grant Collective (PGC) to stimulate research to identify scalable ways to preserve and optimize participation among cancer survivors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo build consensus around an optimal patient-reported outcome measure of cancer symptoms and patient needs to facilitate patient-provider communication and trigger referrals to supportive services. The Grid-Enabled Measures platform was used to crowdsource and facilitate collaboration to achieve consensus. Respondents were invited to nominate and independently rate the usefulness of measures that: (1) have been actively used at a healthcare institution, (2) have a multiple choice or yes/no type format, (3) are applicable to adults with cancer, (4) are patient-reported, and 5) have psychometric data if possible.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPressure injuries negatively impact quality of life and participation for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). To examine the factors that may protect against the development of medically serious pressure injuries in adults with SCI. A qualitative analysis was conducted using treatment notes regarding 50 socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals who did not develop medically serious pressure injuries during a 12-month pressure injury prevention intervention program.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMedically underserved adults with spinal cord injury (SCI) remain at high risk of incurring medically serious pressure injuries even after receiving education in prevention techniques. The purpose of this research is to identify circumstances leading to medically serious pressure injury development in medically underserved adults with SCI during a lifestyle-based pressure injury prevention program, and provide recommendations for future rehabilitation approaches and intervention design. This study entailed a qualitative secondary case analysis of treatment notes from a randomized controlled trial.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Adolesc Young Adult Oncol
June 2019
Cancer-related knowledge among childhood cancer survivors (CCSs) has been underexplored. In particular, little is known about factors impacting knowledge of the need for lifelong follow-up care in CCSs. This secondary analysis of data examined acculturation, cancer-related knowledge, demographics, and clinical factors in 193 ethnically and culturally diverse CCSs (age at study 19.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDespite research explicating the benefits of cancer rehabilitation interventions to optimize physical, social, emotional, and vocational functioning, many reports document low rates of referral to and uptake of rehabilitation in oncology. Cancer rehabilitation clinicians, researchers, and policy makers could learn from the multidisciplinary specialty of palliative care, which has benefited from a growth strategy and has garnered national recognition as an important and necessary aspect of oncology care. The purpose of this article is to explore the actions that have increased the uptake and integration of palliative care to yield insights and multimodal strategies for the development and growth of cancer rehabilitation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe everyday landscape of occupational therapy (OT) in oncology is underexplored, hindering targeted improvements. The purpose of the present study was to identify the OT interventions commonly provided and reimbursed in oncology. A survey utilizing snowball sampling was disseminated online to OT working in oncology care; 167 surveys were received from 21 states in the United States.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDetermine correlations between health-related quality of life (HRQOL), supportive care need, and sociodemographic factors in low-income Latina breast cancer survivors. A descriptive, survey-based, cross-sectional study was completed with 102 low-income Latina breast cancer survivors at a major public safety net hospital. Correlation coefficients were calculated between number of unmet supportive care needs (per Supportive Care Needs Survey), HRQOL (per SF-36), and sociodemographic variables.
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