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Supportive Care in Cancer
Published in: Supportive Care in Cancer 10/2011

01-10-2011 | Original Article

Cancer patients’ informational needs on health promotion and related factors: a multi-institutional, cross-sectional study in Korea

Authors: Kyung-Hyun Choi, Jae-Hyun Park, Sang-Min Park

Published in: Supportive Care in Cancer | Issue 10/2011

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Abstract

Background

As the survival rates of cancer patients increase, health promotion for cancer survivors becomes a more important issue. This study examines whether the informational needs on health promotion by cancer patients is being met and evaluates other factors associated with those informational needs.

Methods

Questionnaires were collected from a total of 2,661 cancer patients at ten cancer centers in Korea from July to August 2008. The questionnaire was designed to elicit informational needs related to healthy behaviors, nutrition, and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Multiple logistic regression models were developed to identify factors affecting the informational needs of cancer survivors regarding health promotion.

Results

In our study sample, we found that 64.83%, 66.38%, and 47.40% of patients have unmet informational needs regarding healthy behaviors, nutrition, and CAM, respectively. The desire for information about health promotion appears to be related to socio-demographic factors, clinical factors, behavioral factors, and quality of life. Younger patients with higher levels of education, shorter time since diagnosis, greater stress levels, previous experience using CAM, and problems identified on EQ5D expressed greater needs for health-related information. Cancer recurrence and smoking status were also associated with greater informational needs about nutrition and CAM.

Conclusions

A significant proportion of cancer patients have unmet informational needs on health promotion. We identified several factors that influence the desire for more health-related information. A tailored approach to providing informational resources to patient groups with unmet informational needs is recommended to enhance the quality of life of cancer patients.
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Metadata
Title
Cancer patients’ informational needs on health promotion and related factors: a multi-institutional, cross-sectional study in Korea
Authors
Kyung-Hyun Choi
Jae-Hyun Park
Sang-Min Park
Publication date
01-10-2011
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
Supportive Care in Cancer / Issue 10/2011
Print ISSN: 0941-4355
Electronic ISSN: 1433-7339
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-010-0973-z

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