Cancer survivor's dietary safety management awareness and competency type

Abstract

Purpose: Although the number of cancer survivors is increasing because of early diagnosis and better treatment, they are worried about relapses and metastasis. This study examined the dietary safety management awareness, capacity, and behavior of cancer survivors. Methods: Data were collected from 233 cancer survivors in Daegu and Gyeongbuk areas using a self-administered 5-Likert questionnaire from March to May 2018. Frequency analysis, one-way analysis of variance, factor analysis, reliability analysis, and correlation analysis were analyzed using the SPSS. Results: The average score for each factor was as follows: importance of weight management (3.83), education requirement (3.79), unhealthy diet (reverse, 3.64), food safety anxiety (3.34), lack of awareness of over and malnutrition (reverse, 3.26), obsession (3.23), cooking capacity (3.16), health-function pursuit (3.04), balanced diet (2.93), and chronic disease anxiety (2.64). The average dietary safety competency factors were significantly lower among the male survivors, aged 60-80 years, lower economic condition, and less nutritional supplement intake. Female survivors comprised the highest proportion with high health management and cooking capacity, while men had the lowest of all the factors (p < 0.001). The group that was low in all three capacity factors had a significantly lower average score of difficulty in acquiring knowledge (reverse), lack of awareness of over-and malnutrition (reverse), importance of weight management, education requirement, knowledge, balanced diet, and health-functional pursuit compared to the other groups (p < 0.001). Conclusion: To effectively manage health, dietary safety management education should be differentiated and actively conducted according to sex, age, cancer diagnosis time, economic status, nutritional supplement intake, and the capacity cluster of cancer survivors.

Symptom assessment in cancer patients using the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale

“…According to "The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)", the number of people diagnosed with cancer is estimated to reach 27.5 million by 2040 (3).…”