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Few cancer survivors meeting lifestyle behavior recommendations
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Health-related quality of life may improve among cancer survivors who follow physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption recommendations; however, only a minority of survivors is meeting these recommendations.
Researchers from Canada and the United States conducted a cross-sectional survey of lifestyle behavior in 9,105 survivors of six types of cancer to determine the prevalence of physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption and smoking and its effect on health-related quality of life.
Most survivors met the smoking recommendation (82.6% to 91.6%), but a small fraction met the physical activity (29.6% to 47.3%) and 5-a-day suggestions (14.8% to 19.1%). Among those who were meeting recommendations, health-related quality of life was higher compared with those not meeting the recommendations. The researchers reported a positive link between the number of recommendations being met and health-related QOL for survivors of breast, prostate, colorectal, bladder, uterine and skin cancers (P<.001 for all). – by Stacey L. Adams
J Clin Oncol.2008;26:2198-2204.