Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Sir James Spence Institute, Royal Victoria Infirmary, NE1 4LP,, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
J Cancer Surviv. 2021 Apr;15(2):344-357. doi: 10.1007/s11764-020-00935-2. Epub 2020 Nov 6.
Childhood cancer survivors (CCSs) are at increased risk of chronic health problems. Effective self-management could help CCSs cope with the challenges that accompany survivorship and reduce their risk of developing further health problems. There is little evidence about the extent to which CCSs engage with self-management and the specific strategies they use. This study aimed to identify and explore the strategies that CCSs use to manage the consequences of cancer.
Twenty-four CCSs were recruited via follow-up clinics. Participants completed a semi-structured interview which was audio-recorded and transcribed. Directed content analysis was used to identify self-reported self-management strategies and categorise them into main self-management types.
CCSs reported 118 specific self-management strategies which fell under 20 main self-management strategy types. All CCSs reported using several main self-management strategy types and specific self-management strategies. Main strategy types used by all CCSs were "adopting a healthy lifestyle", "self-motivating", "using support", "reasoned decision-making" and "creating a healthy environment". The most common specific self-management strategies were "receiving family support" (n = 20) and "attending follow-up and screening appointments" (n = 20).
This is the first study which has enabled CCSs to self-report the numerous strategies they employ to look after their health and well-being, contributing to a more comprehensive picture of self-management in CCSs.
These findings may increase healthcare professionals' awareness of the many ways in which CCSs manage their health and is a valuable first step in the development of a supported self-management intervention for CCSs in follow-up care.
儿童癌症幸存者（CCS）患有慢性健康问题的风险增加。有效的自我管理可以帮助 CCS 应对生存带来的挑战，并降低他们进一步出现健康问题的风险。关于 CCS 参与自我管理的程度以及他们使用的具体策略，证据很少。本研究旨在确定并探讨 CCS 用于管理癌症后果的策略。
通过随访诊所招募了 24 名 CCS。参与者完成了半结构化访谈，访谈内容被录音并转录。采用有针对性的内容分析来识别自我报告的自我管理策略，并将其归类为主要自我管理类型。
CCS 报告了 118 种具体的自我管理策略，这些策略属于 20 种主要自我管理策略类型。所有 CCS 都报告使用了几种主要的自我管理策略类型和具体的自我管理策略。所有 CCS 使用的主要策略类型包括“采用健康的生活方式”、“自我激励”、“利用支持”、“理性决策”和“创造健康的环境”。最常见的具体自我管理策略是“获得家庭支持”（n=20）和“参加随访和筛查预约”（n=20）。
这是第一项使 CCS 能够自我报告他们用于照顾自己的健康和福祉的众多策略的研究，为 CCS 的自我管理提供了更全面的描述。
这些发现可能会提高医疗保健专业人员对 CCS 管理健康的多种方式的认识，这是为 CCS 在随访护理中开发支持性自我管理干预措施的宝贵的第一步。
