Improving Adherence to ACS Guidelines on Nutrition and Physical Activity in Latinas With Cancer and Their Informal Caregivers

Improving Adherence to American Cancer Society (ACS) Guidelines on Nutrition and Physical Activity Through Integrated Symptom Management in Latinas With Cancer and Their Informal Caregivers

This research study is testing the feasibility and acceptability of a 12-week intervention that integrates telephone coaching and printed materials about the ACS guidelines and healthy lifestyle behaviors in order to manage symptoms after treatment for cancer. We will recruit 57 dyads (the survivor plus one identified informal caregiver) from the community.

This research study is testing the feasibility and acceptability of a 12-week intervention that integrates telephone coaching and printed materials about the ACS guidelines and healthy lifestyle behaviors in order to manage symptoms after treatment for cancer. The study population is 36 Latinas who have recently completed treatment for solid tumor cancers and their informal caregiver (36 dyads). Research suggests that family members can be facilitators to behavior change more specifically, Latinos rely on family support more than non-Hispanic Whites.

Fewer than 20% of Latina cancer survivors meet the American Cancer Society's (ACS) Guidelines on Nutrition and Physical Activity. Healthier lifestyle behaviors (such as diet and physical activity) would result in an immediate benefit of reduced symptoms and long-term benefit of improved health while lowering cancer risk. This pilot study tests an intervention that will help in lessening survivors' symptoms to improve adherence to the ACS guidelines for cancer prevention ultimately improving overall health. A telephone-based intervention does not require any in-person meetings (outside of initial recruitment) and lessens participant burden.

The Specific Aims of this project are to evaluate this intervention among 36 survivors who have recently completed treatment for solid tumor cancers and their informal caregivers to 1) Determine the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention 2) Establish the preliminary efficacy for improvement in diet, physical activity, and quality of life for the dyads, and symptom burden for survivors through surveys given at baseline and study completion as well as a weekly symptom distress survey.

Inclusion Criteria:

Patients

• Female
• at least 18 years of age
• diagnosis of cancer
• speak and understand English or Spanish
• are finishing (or have finished) curative intent cancer treatment and do not have any subsequent cancer treatments planned, except for hormonal therapy or trastuzumab for breast cancer.
• Patients must also have at least 1 of the 5 most common cancer-related symptoms (pain, sleep disturbance, anxiety, depression and/or fatigue) with a severity score of 4 or higher (2 or higher for depression) on a 0-10 rating scale which is based on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines for symptom monitoring.

Caregivers

• must be 18 years or older
• able to speak and understand English or Spanish
• not currently treated for cancer preserving the distinction between survivor and caregiver.