Advances in the treatment of pediatric cancers have led to dramatic improvements in survival and over 75 percent of children with cancer survive disease-free for more than 5 years. As a result, approximately one in every 900 adults between the ages of 16 and 44 is a survivor of pediatric cancer. Despite advances in treatment, many survivors experience adverse late effects of treatment such as increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and secondary cancers related to treatment. These late effects may be compounded by lifestyle factors that include obesity, unhealthful diets, inactivity, and smoking. Therefore, adherence to health-promoting practices such as maintenance of a healthy diet and weight, regular physical activity, and avoiding smoking may be particularly beneficial to adult survivors of childhood cancers. Currently, little is known about the lifestyle behaviors of adult survivors of childhood cancers. Studies that have been done include primarily non-Hispanic White samples. Virtually nothing is known about ethnic minority adult survivors. The proposed project is a cross sectional observational study of African-American, Hispanic, and non- Hispanic White adult survivors of childhood cancers and non-cancer controls. The study will describe and compare important health behaviors (diet, physical activity, smoking) and specific health care, sociocultural, cognitive and environmental factors (health status, health care utilization, cultural beliefs/practices, spirituality, health knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy and social support) hypothesized to influence the identified health behaviors. Using regression analyses we will formulate predictive models that explain the relationships between survivor status, ethnicity and health behaviors, and the sociocultural and cognitive factors that mediate these behaviors. The results from this study will be used to assist in the design of a feasible intervention to increase positive health behaviors in minority survivors.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01CA116750-06
Application #
8066463
Study Section
Psychosocial Risk and Disease Prevention Study Section (PRDP)
Program Officer
Alfano, Catherine M
Project Start
2006-06-12
Project End
2013-04-30
Budget Start
2011-05-01
Budget End
2013-04-30
Support Year
6
Fiscal Year
2011
Total Cost
$257,339
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Illinois at Chicago
Department
Internal Medicine/Medicine
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
098987217
City
Chicago
State
IL
Country
United States
Zip Code
60612
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Seltzer, Erica D; Stolley, Melinda R; Mensah, Edward K et al. (2014) Social networking site usage among childhood cancer survivors--a potential tool for research recruitment? J Cancer Surviv 8:349-54
Berdan, Chloe A; Tangney, Christy C; Scala, Celina et al. (2014) Childhood cancer survivors and adherence to the American Cancer Society Guidelines on Nutrition and Physical Activity. J Cancer Surviv 8:671-9
Freeman, Vincent L; Ricardo, Ana C; Campbell, Richard T et al. (2011) Association of census tract-level socioeconomic status with disparities in prostate cancer-specific survival. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 20:2150-9
Stolley, Melinda R; Restrepo, Jacqueline; Sharp, Lisa K (2010) Diet and physical activity in childhood cancer survivors: a review of the literature. Ann Behav Med 39:232-49
Stolley, Melinda R; Sharp, Lisa K; Arroyo, Claudia et al. (2009) Design and recruitment of the Chicago Healthy Living Study: a study of health behaviors in a diverse cohort of adult childhood cancer survivors. Cancer 115:4385-96