Public Health Action Model for Cancer Survivorship

Abstract

Long-term objectives associated with cancer survivors have been suggested by Healthy People 2020, including increasing the proportion of survivors living beyond 5 years after diagnosis and improving survivors’ mental and physical health-related quality of life. Prior to reaching these objectives, several intermediate steps must be taken to improve the physical, social, emotional, and financial well-being of cancer survivors. Public health has a role in developing strategic, actionable, and measurable approaches to facilitate change at multiple levels to improve the lives of survivors and their families. The social ecological model has been used by the public health community as the foundation of multilevel intervention design and implementation, encouraging researchers and practitioners to explore methods that promote internal and external changes at the individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and policy levels. The survivorship community, including public health professionals, providers, policymakers, survivors, advocates, and caregivers, must work collaboratively to identify, develop, and implement interventions that benefit cancer survivors. The National Action Plan for Cancer Survivorship highlights public health domains and associated strategies that can be the impetus for collaboration between and among the levels in the social ecological model and are integral to improving survivor outcomes. This paper describes the Public Health Action Model for Cancer Survivorship, an integrative framework that combines the National Action Plan for Cancer Survivorship with the social ecological model to demonstrate how interaction among the various levels may promote better outcomes for survivors.

Child symptoms, parent behaviors, and family strain in long‐term survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

“…From a broader social-ecological viewpoint, available social supports in the community and effective health-care systems may also have an influence on health outcomes of cancer survivors, which in turn affects family functioning. 32 Health-related quality of life and family cohesion of our samples were comparable with that of healthy samples, 20,33 suggesting psychological resilience. However, family strain of our samples was higher than healthy ones, 34 and 16% of our parents had clinically meaningful global distress.…”

“…Future studies are encouraged to investigate this issue in childhood cancer survivors. From a broader social‐ecological viewpoint, available social supports in the community and effective health‐care systems may also have an influence on health outcomes of cancer survivors, which in turn affects family functioning …”

Public Health’s Future Role in Cancer Survivorship

“…The goal is to allow men to make decisions based on their values and needs. Consistent with the Public Health Action Model for Cancer Survivorship, 19 this research also demonstrated the importance of recognizing the multilevel perspectives of the decision-making triad of the patient (survivor), caregiver (interpersonal), and provider (organizational). Hall and Smith also discussed uncertainty about the appropriate protocol for active surveillance for African American men.…”

“…Partnerships and coalitions with public and private sector organizations are essential for effective public health program implementation. 18 Moore and colleagues 19 described the Public Health Action Model for Cancer Survivorship to illustrate how various partners can collaborate across multiple levels to improve survival and quality of life for cancer survivors. This approach is used by CDC’s National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program (NCCCP), which provides a coalition-based approach to cancer prevention and control in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, seven tribes and tribal groups, and seven U.S. Associated Pacific Islands/territories.…”

Exploring the Needs of Cancer Survivors When Returning to or Staying in the Workforce

“…In fact, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has adapted the social ecological model of health promotion and conceptualized the individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and policy level influences on cancer into their Colorectal Cancer Control Program (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013). Furthermore, the American National Action Plan for Cancer Survivorship has illustrated how collaboration between and within these levels in the social ecological model is paramount to improving survivor outcomes (Moore, Buchanan, Fairley, & Lee Smith, 2015). The dynamic interactions within this framework are used throughout this study to inform how cancer survivors navigate personal and environmental factors to return to or stay in the workforce, thereby improving their employment outcomes and quality of life.…”