Browsing by Author "Chrischilles, Elizabeth A."

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    The association between cancer care coordination and quality of life is stronger for breast cancer patients with lower health literacy: A Greater Plains Collaborative study
    (Springer, 2020) McDowell, Bradley D.; Klepm, Jennifer; Blaes, Anne; Cohee, Andrea A.; Trentham-Dietz, Amy; Kamaraju, Sailaja; Otte, Julie L.; Mott, Sarah L.; Chrischilles, Elizabeth A.
    Purpose Health literacy (HL) and cancer care coordination (CCC) were examined for their relationship to quality of life (QOL) among breast cancer survivors. CCC was hypothesized to have a stronger relationship to QOL for women with lower HL. Methods Women (N = 1138) who had completed treatment for Stage 0–III, ductal carcinoma breast cancer between January 2013 and May 2014 at one of eight large medical centers responded to a mailed questionnaire. Responses to questions about survivorship care planning and presence of professional care coordinator were combined to form an index of CCC. An index of HL was also derived. QOL was measured using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B) scales. Results 74.3% (N = 845) of patients reported having a health professional coordinate their care during treatment and 78.8% (N = 897) reported receiving survivorship care planning. CCC was classified as none, partial, or high for 7.1%, 32.7%, and 60.2% of the patients, respectively. Except for emotional well-being, the interaction between HL and CCC was significant for all QOL domains (p < .05); the effect of CCC on FACT-B scores was largest for people with lower HL. For the 39.8% of patients with less than high CCC, 111 (27.3%) had a level of HL associated with clinically meaningful lower QOL. Conclusions The association between CCC and later QOL is strongest for people who have lower HL. Prioritizing care coordination for patients with lower health literacy may be an effective strategy in a setting of limited resources.
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    Cancer-related health behaviors during the COVID 19 pandemic in geographically diverse samples across the US
    (Springer Nature, 2025-01-09) Greteman, Breanna B.; Cole, Allison; Charlton, Mary E.; Shannon, Jackilen; Kepka, Deanna; Paskett, Electra D.; Borrayo, Evelinn A.; Studts, Jamie L.; Thompson, Hayley S.; Scarinci, Isabel; Hinton, Lynn Chollet; Chrischilles, Elizabeth A.; Garcia-Auguste, Crystal J.; Christini, Kaila; Aker, Heather; Plascak, Jesse J.; Harper, Felicity W. K.; Baskin, Monica L.; Bae, Sejong; Pandya, Vishruti; Kim, Young-Il; Faseru, Babalola; Befort, Christie; Kuo, Hanluen; Dignan, Mark; Canedo, Juan; Champion, Victoria; Drake, Bettina F.; Davis, Kia L.; Friedman, Debra L.; Elsaid, Mohamed I.; Mama, Scherezade K.; Cohn, Wendy F.; School of Nursing
    Background: The COVID-19 pandemic involved business closures (e.g., gyms), social distancing policies, and prolonged stressful situations that may have impacted engagement in health behaviors. Our study assessed changes in cancer-related health behaviors during the pandemic, specifically physical activity, fruit/vegetable intake, smoking/tobacco use, and alcohol consumption. Methods: Eight cancer centers administered mailed/web-based/telephone surveys between June 2020 and March 2021. Surveys assessed demographics, perceptions on social distancing, and self-reported changes of behaviors (less/same/more) associated with cancer prevention or risk, e.g., physical activity, fruit/vegetable intake, tobacco/smoking use, and alcohol consumption. Descriptive analyses and logistic regression models assessed association of variables with behavior change. Results: Most of the 21,911 respondents reported adhering to at least 4(of 5) social distancing measures (72%) and indicated social distancing was very/somewhat important to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (91%). 35% of respondents reported less physical activity, 11% reported less fruit/vegetable intake, 27% reported more smoking/tobacco use (among those who used tobacco/smoking products in past 30 days), and 23% reported more alcohol consumption (among those who reported at least 1 drink in past 30 days) than before the pandemic. Urban residence, younger age, female gender, and worse general health were associated with less physical activity, less fruit/vegetable intake, more smoking/tobacco use, and more alcohol intake. Higher educational attainment was associated with less physical activity and fruit/vegetable intake and more alcohol consumption. Reporting social distancing as important and adhering to more COVID-19 safety practices were associated with less physical activity and more alcohol consumption. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that certain demographics and those who adhered to social distancing measures were more likely to self-report unfavorable changes in health behaviors during the pandemic. Future studies should examine if the behaviors returned to baseline following relief from pandemic restrictions, and if these behavior changes are associated with increased cancer incidence and mortality.