Rabin Carolyn, Pinto Bernardine
Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, Miriam Hospital, Providence, RI 02903, USA.
Psychooncology. 2006 Aug;15(8):701-12. doi: 10.1002/pon.1000.
It is unclear why some cancer survivors and their relatives are motivated by the (personal or vicarious) cancer experience to make positive health behavior changes while others are not. Consistent with Leventhal's Commonsense Model, we hypothesized that breast cancer survivors and their first-degree relatives (FDRs) would change behaviors they believed: (1) had caused the survivor's cancer or (2) could prevent a future cancer incidence. Sixty-five breast cancer survivors (stages 0-III) and 33 FDRs were recruited. Assessments occurred within three months of the survivor completing treatment (i.e. all surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation) and again three months later. Findings indicate that survivors who believed that unhealthy diet, insufficient exercise, or alcohol consumption contributed to their cancer were more likely to modify the relevant behavior. Likewise, survivors were more likely to implement healthy changes they believed would ward off a recurrence. Findings were similar when data from FDRs was added to the sample. Thus, healthy lifestyle changes after a personal (and possibly a vicarious) cancer diagnosis are tied to whether individuals believe changes can affect cancer outcomes. Given the role of health behavior change in reducing medical risks, these findings have important implications for maintaining the health of cancer survivors.
目前尚不清楚为何一些癌症幸存者及其亲属会因（自身或间接的）癌症经历而积极改变健康行为，而另一些人则不会。与莱文索尔的常识模型一致，我们假设乳腺癌幸存者及其一级亲属（FDRs）会改变他们认为：（1）导致幸存者患癌的行为，或（2）可以预防未来癌症发生的行为。招募了65名乳腺癌幸存者（0至III期）和33名一级亲属。评估在幸存者完成治疗（即所有手术、化疗和放疗）后的三个月内进行，三个月后再次评估。研究结果表明，那些认为不健康饮食、运动不足或饮酒导致其患癌的幸存者更有可能改变相关行为。同样，幸存者更有可能实施他们认为可以预防复发的健康改变。当将一级亲属的数据加入样本时，结果相似。因此，个人（以及可能间接的）癌症诊断后的健康生活方式改变与个人是否相信这些改变会影响癌症结果有关。鉴于健康行为改变在降低医疗风险方面的作用，这些发现对维持癌症幸存者的健康具有重要意义。
