Cancer patients' informational needs on health promotion and related factors: a multi-institutional, cross-sectional study in Korea.
BACKGROUND
As the survival rates of cancer patients increase, health promotion for cancer survivors becomes a more important issue. This study examines whether the informational needs on health promotion by cancer patients is being met and evaluates other factors associated with those informational needs.


METHODS
Questionnaires were collected from a total of 2,661 cancer patients at ten cancer centers in Korea from July to August 2008. The questionnaire was designed to elicit informational needs related to healthy behaviors, nutrition, and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Multiple logistic regression models were developed to identify factors affecting the informational needs of cancer survivors regarding health promotion.


RESULTS
In our study sample, we found that 64.83%, 66.38%, and 47.40% of patients have unmet informational needs regarding healthy behaviors, nutrition, and CAM, respectively. The desire for information about health promotion appears to be related to socio-demographic factors, clinical factors, behavioral factors, and quality of life. Younger patients with higher levels of education, shorter time since diagnosis, greater stress levels, previous experience using CAM, and problems identified on EQ5D expressed greater needs for health-related information. Cancer recurrence and smoking status were also associated with greater informational needs about nutrition and CAM.


CONCLUSIONS
A significant proportion of cancer patients have unmet informational needs on health promotion. We identified several factors that influence the desire for more health-related information. A tailored approach to providing informational resources to patient groups with unmet informational needs is recommended to enhance the quality of life of cancer patients.
Choi
Kyung-Hyun
KH
Department of Family Medicine, Dongnam Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences, Pusan, South Korea.
Park
Jae-Hyun
JH
Park
Sang-Min
SM
D022126:Access to Information; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000379:methods; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D011788:Quality of Life; D056910:Republic of Korea; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires