Introduction:
Limited information is available regarding the long-term health behaviours and wellbeing of adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors within the Australian environment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the current health behaviours of AYA cancer survivors within a single institution compared to Australian normative data.
Method:
Cross sectional online survey of participants aged 15-25 years at time of diagnosis, who are 2-7 years post-treatment completion and identified via an institutional database (ONTrac at Peter Mac). Questionnaires assessed health behaviours including current physical activity levels (GLTEQ), diet quality (REAP) and smoking, along with self-reported BMI. Pearson’s chi-squared test was performed to compare AYA survivors’ results to Australian normative data (National Health Survey 2017/2018).
Results:
90 participants were included in the analysis (26% response rate); mean age of 25.4 years; 51% were female; and average time since diagnosis was 61 months. In comparison to age matched Australian normative data, AYA cancer survivors showed better health behaviours in regards to the proportion meeting weekly physical activity guidelines (31% vs 23.7%, p=0.11) and differences in the percentages meeting recommend daily servings of fruit and vegetables (16.7% vs 3.9%, p<.0001). There were also differences identified between AYA survivors and normative data with regards to body mass and smoking rates, with less AYA survivors having a BMI classified as being overweight or obese (46.7% vs 57.7%, p-value 0.04) and with fewer current smokers (2.2% vs 16.7%, p<0.0001).
Conclusions:
AYA cancer survivors within a single Australian institution showed better health behaviours compared to normative data. However, the number of AYA cancer survivor’s that meet weekly physical activity recommendations along with meeting daily fruit and vegetable intake remains quite low at a population level. Targeted interventions that address these issues early in survivorship may promote better long-term health behaviours.