The influence of health-specific social network site use on the psychological well-being of cancer-affected people

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to explore and examine how and in what ways the use of social network sites (SNSs) can improve health outcomes, specifically better psychological well-being, for cancer-affected people. METHODS: Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with users of the Ovarian Cancer Australia Facebook page (OCA Facebook), the exemplar SNS used in this study. Twenty-five women affected by ovarian cancer who were users of OCA Facebook were interviewed. A multi-theory perspective was employed to interpret the data. RESULTS: Most of the study participants used OCA Facebook daily. Some users were passive and only observed created content, while other users actively posted content and communicated with other members. Analysis showed that the use of this SNS enhanced social support for users, improved the users' experiences of social connectedness, and helped users learn and develop social presence, which ultimately improved their psychological well-being. DISCUSSION: The strong theoretical underpinning of our research and empirically derived results led to a new understanding of the capacity of SNSs to improve psychological well-being. Our study provides evidence showing how the integration of these tools into existing health services can enhance patients' psychological well-being. This study also contributes to the body of knowledge on the implications of SNS use for improving the psychological well-being of cancer-affected people. CONCLUSION: This research assessed the relationship between the use of SNSs, specifically OCA Facebook, and the psychological well-being of cancer-affected people. The study confirmed that using OCA Facebook can improve psychological well-being by demonstrating the potential value of SNSs as a support service in the healthcare industry

The invisible malady: a critical review of the quality of instruments to measure cancer-related cognitive changes (CRCC) in women with breast cancer

Purpose: The purpose of this critical review was to determine what assessment instruments are potentially available for identifying cancer related cognitive changes (CRCC) in women with breast cancer. It sought to determine valuable psychometric properties to be considered when approaching assessment tools for clinical use in this population. Methods: A replication of a scoping review (originally conducted in February 2013) was performed in order to identify potential instruments. Searches were completed in eight databases to: (a) identify any new literature from 2013 to 2016, (b) identify instruments that may have clinical utility for the use of practitioners and (c) extract evidence for psychometric properties of the identified measures. Critical analysis of both the studies and the instruments identified within the studies were undertaken in order to assess quality of research. Results: Twenty-two studies were identified, with a total of nineteen assessment instruments potentially available for use with the breast cancer population. Four instruments were identified as having the strongest psychometric properties and potential availability for current clinical utility. Conclusions: Results indicate a lack of consideration for psychometric properties when selecting an instrument for the assessment of CRCC in research studies. These results indicate that clinician’s ability to identify issues relating to CRCC in a standardised way is impacted, thus impeding the development of evidence-based care plans for individuals recovering from breast cancer

Associated factors of hope in cancer patients during treatment : a systematic literature review

Aim: To identify the associated factors of hope during treatment in cancer patients. Background: Hope is very important to cancer patients at all stages of the disease process. Hope is seen as an important coping mechanism. Most research about hope in cancer patients considered the end of life or in palliative care. Several and different factors are associated with hope. It is not yet sufficiently clear which factors are associated with hope during the treatment. Design: A systematic literature review of quantitative empirical studies on hope in cancer patients during treatment. Data Sources: Search in MEDLINE (PubMed interface), CINAHL (EBSCO interface), Psychinfo and Cochrane (January 2009-December 2018). Review Methods: Empirical quantitative studies were included regardless of the disease stage, written in English or Dutch, measuring hope from the perspective of cancer patients. Two authors independently screened all the studies and assessed their quality. Results: Thirty-three studies were included. Positive relationship has been established between hope and quality of life, social support, spiritual and existential well-being. Hope appears to be negatively associated with symptom burden, psychological distress and depression. There appears to be no relationship between hope and demographic and clinical variables. The relationship between anxiety and hope remains unclear. Conclusions: Hope primarily seems to be a process that takes place in a person's inner being rather than being determined from outside. Impact: Health professionals may want to focus on the meaning of hope for cancer patients in relation to the associated factors. A better understanding of the meaning of hope during treatment can be of great value in supporting cancer patients with regard to treatment decisions, psychosocial support, the experienced quality of life and symptom burden and any wishes they may have with regard to advanced care planning

Exploring the Differences Between Adult Cancer Survivors and Their Caregivers\u27 Social Support, Self-Efficacy for Physical Activity, Physical Activity Behavior, and Quality of Life

Less than 20% of cancer survivors meet recommended physical activity (PA) guidelines. Research reporting positive impact of social support on PA in cancer survivors has not included their caregivers\u27 PA. A review of the literature examining social support and PA in cancer survivors supported including caregivers in developing strategies to increase PA in cancer survivors. The purposes of this study were: (1) to explore the differences and relationships between adult cancer survivors\u27 and caregivers\u27 social support, self-efficacy for physical activity (SEPA), PA, and quality of life (QOL), and (2) understand cancer survivors and caregivers\u27 perception of social support in PA participation. A quasi-experimental design, guided by Bandura\u27s Social Cognitive Theory, was used to explore the differences and relationships between variables in a sample of 101 cancer survivors and caregivers. Mann-Whitney U Test revealed that physical QOL was significantly higher in caregivers (Mdn = 60.38, n = 38) than cancer survivors (Mdn = 39.75, n = 57), U = 612, z = -3.57, p = .000, r = 0.37). Spearman\u27s rho identified a negative relationship between physical QOL and PA, r = -.31, n = 56, p = .011 in cancer survivors; and a significant relationship between PA and social support from friend PA participation, r = .45, n = 33, p = .004 in caregivers. Responses to open-ended questions revealed that cancer survivors and caregivers rely on their social support to encourage and motivate them to participate in PA. These findings suggest priority should be given to strategies that encourage PA in both cancer survivors and their caregivers

Health information seeking partially mediated the association between socioeconomic status and self-rated health among Hong Kong Chinese

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Umbrella systematic review finds limited evidence that school absence explains the association between chronic health conditions and lower academic attainment

INTRODUCTION: Absence from school is more frequent for children with chronic health conditions (CHCs) than their peers and may be one reason why average academic attainment scores are lower among children with CHCs. METHODS: We determined whether school absence explains the association between CHCs and academic attainment through a systematic review of systematic reviews of comparative studies involving children with or without CHCs and academic attainment. We extracted results from any studies that tested whether school absence mediated the association between CHCs and academic attainment. RESULTS: We identified 27 systematic reviews which included 441 unique studies of 7, 549, 267 children from 47 jurisdictions. Reviews either covered CHCs generally or were condition-specific (e.g., chronic pain, depression, or asthma). Whereas reviews found an association between a range of CHCs (CHCs generally, cystic fibrosis, hemophilia A, end-stage renal disease (pre-transplant), end-stage kidney disease (pre-transplant), spina bifida, congenital heart disease, orofacial clefts, mental disorders, depression, and chronic pain) and academic attainment, and though it was widely hypothesized that absence was a mediator in these associations, only 7 of 441 studies tested this, and all findings show no evidence of absence mediation. CONCLUSION: CHCs are associated with lower academic attainment, but we found limited evidence of whether school absence mediates this association. Policies that focus solely on reducing school absence, without adequate additional support, are unlikely to benefit children with CHCs. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=285031, identifier: CRD42021285031

Reviewing art therapy research : a constructive critique

The literature search that informed our review initially yielded 12,122 papers of potential interest, derived from seven databases. After applying a series of filters we arrived at 92 papers on which we base our findings, thoughts and recommendations for future work. Our methodological approach was informed by the systematic review guidance published by the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (2009), and the Arts Council definition of ‘arts activities’. Hence we considered papers reporting therapeutic arts interventions conducted on 'patients' which included some measurement of a health state. After excluding any research on people less than age 18, we selected studies where participants had active (as opposed to passive) engagement with the therapy/treatment/medium. Only study types which were quantitative were included in this review. Rather than simply criticise the execution of the research we applied our own expertise to the process. It was immediately evident that definitions and categories would pose some difficulties as there is much variety in the language used to describe the arts, therapies and treatment. This is a problem of indexing, causing the literature search and initial screening to be a laborious process. The most commonly reported art activities were: writing, music, art and dance. The most numerous health condition studied was mental health followed by cognitive function, stress and cancer. Most research was carried out in the US and the UK. As a discipline, psychology featured regularly. When arts therapists were involved in the research the descriptions and possible effects of the art medium tended to be better elucidated. Future research into the use of art therapy in healthcare will benefit from a synthesis of approaches that can retain the more robust aspects of, for example, RCTs with the insights that can be derived from qualitative methods

Health Information Seeking Partially Mediated the Association between Socioeconomic Status and Self-Rated Health among Hong Kong Chinese

Background: Poor self-rated health (SRH) is socially patterned with health communication inequalities, arguably, serving as one mechanisms. This study investigated the effects of health information seeking on SRH, and its mediation effects on disparities in SRH. Methods: We conducted probability-based telephone surveys administered over telephone in 2009, 2010/11 and 2012 to monitor health information use among 4553 Chinese adults in Hong Kong. Frequency of information seeking from television, radio, newspapers/magazines and Internet was dichotomised as <1 time/month and ≥1 time/month. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) for poor SRH were calculated for health information seeking from different sources and socioeconomic status (education and income). Mediation effects of health information seeking on the association between SES and poor SRH was estimated. Results: Poor SRH was associated with lower socioeconomic status (P for trend <0.001), and less than monthly health information seeking from newspapers/magazines (aOR = 1.23, 95% CI 1.07–1.42) and Internet (aOR = 1.13, 95% CI 0.98–1.31). Increasing combined frequency of health information seeking from newspapers/magazines and Internet was linearly associated with better SRH (P for trend <0.01). Health information seeking from these two sources contributed 9.2% and 7.9% of the total mediation effects of education and household income on poor SRH, respectively. Conclusions: Poor SRH was associated with lower socioeconomic status, and infrequent health information seeking from newspapers/magazines and Internet among Hong Kong Chinese. Disparities in SRH may be partially mediated by health information seeking from newspapers/magazines and Internet

Am J Prev Med

Introduction:Assessment of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) can provide insights into cancer survivors\u2019 physical and mental functioning, their social relationships, and perceptions of their health and well-being. Understanding factors associated with HRQOL may help identify those who are at greater risk for diminished functioning and improve targeted delivery of health promotion programs. This analysis sought to assess sociodemographic and medical factors associated with HRQOL among colorectal cancer survivors and factors that may put survivors at risk for poor functioning. In addition, associations between BMI and physical activity and HRQOL were explored.Methods:Data from a cross-sectional study of health behaviors among 593 long-term colorectal cancer survivors recruited through the California Cancer Registry in early 2010 were analyzed in late 2014 to early 2015. Multivariable linear and logistic regression models were used to assess factors associated with physical, mental, and overall HRQOL.Results:The mean physical and mental HRQOL scores of survivors were 46.88 and 42.28, respectively, and lower than the population norm (50). Being older, having more comorbid conditions, and having had a recurrence were associated with lower physical and overall HRQOL, whereas being physically active was associated with higher physical and overall HRQOL.Conclusions:Findings highlight the need to encourage healthcare providers to promote physical activity among sedentary cancer survivors, even at modest levels. In addition, lower mental HRQOL scores may indicate a greater need to screen cancer survivors for psychosocial issues and link them with appropriate services.CC999999/Intramural CDC HHS/United States2019-01-16T00:00:00Z26590647PMC6334761vault:3136

Precision Medicine in Lifestyle Medicine: The Way of the Future?

Precision medicine has captured the imagination of the medical community with visions of therapies precisely targeted to the specific individual’s genetic, biological, social, and environmental profile. However, in practice it has become synonymous with genomic medicine. As such its successes have been limited, with poor predictive or clinical value for the majority of people. It adds little to lifestyle medicine, other than in establishing why a healthy lifestyle is effective in combatting chronic disease. The challenge of lifestyle medicine remains getting people to actually adopt, sustain, and naturalize a healthy lifestyle, and this will require an approach that treats the patient as a person with individual needs and providing them with suitable types of support. The future of lifestyle medicine is holistic and person-centered rather than technological