Childhood cancer survivors do not necessarily follow a healthier lifestyle later on in life. Research has found that some of them do not even follow basic guidelines detailed by the American Cancer Society.
The study, named Chicago Healthy Living, studied the lifestyles of cancer survivors. Researchers found that this group indulged in unhealthy habits such as none-to-little workouts and eating junk food.
The findings are particularly important, as cancer survivors are at higher risk of other health problems and premature death, researchers said.
The observations were made after researcher Chloe Berdan assessed selected data from participants. The University of Illinois research team led by Drs. Stolley and Sharp performed a survey of 431 childhood cancer survivors and 361 people who never had the disease. The interviews were health-centric and the cancer survivors aged between 18 and 59. The survivors were diagnosed with a malignant cancer before they turned 21.
Upon analysis, the researchers found that there was no difference in adherence to ACS guidelines between the survivors and the control group. They stated that the survivors had on average a body mass index of about 2.64 pounds lower than those in control group and also smoked less. Moreover, the fiber consumption in the cancer survivors was less. Just one in every ten survivors (10.2 percent) met fiber recommendations, while only 17.7 percent ate five fruits or vegetables per day.
However, 60.5 percent of the cancer survivors met the goal of at least five hours of moderate activity per week. They also scored below 50 percent for the quality of their diets.
Around 0.7 percent of survivors who actually adhered completely to the recommendations were women, non-smokers and people with a good view of their own health.
"There is still much room for improvement in educating and encouraging survivors to follow healthier diets and lifestyles," Berdan said. "Adopting such behavior during early adulthood may have a lasting impact on their quality of life and overall survival."
The findings are published in the Journal of Cancer Survivorship.
