Dietary and lifestyle profiles between patients with and without cancer in the national health interview survey.

Abstract

12073 Background: Although poor diet and lifestyle has been associated with cancer development and progression, it is unclear how the diagnosis of cancer impacts diet and lifestyle. We examined the dietary patterns and overall nutrition of adults diagnosed with cancer versus those never diagnosed with cancer in the 2015 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Methods: NHIS adults who reported having cancer (n=2,853) and not having cancer (n=27,002) were identified. A dietary/lifestyle score was developed based on World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research Cancer Prevention Recommendations (Table). Participants were given a score for each recommendation which was then summed as an overall score, with seven meeting all requirements fully and zero meeting none of the requirements. Results: The mean composite score for the cancer population was 4.28 ± 0.88 and for the noncancer population was 4.30 ± 0.90 (p = 0.18). Compared to patients without cancer, those with a cancer diagnosis had higher rates of adherence to recommendations for fruit/vegetable consumption (0.08 vs. 0.07, p <0.001) and limitation of sugar-sweetened beverages (0.77 vs. 0.74, p <0.001), but had lower rates of the recommended physical activity (0.43 vs. 0.49, p <0.001). Conclusions: Patients with and without diagnosis of cancer had mediocre adherence (4.3 out of 7) to lifestyle recommendations, although those with diagnosis of cancer had a higher consumption of fruits/vegetables, lower consumption of sugary beverages, and lower level of physical activity than those without cancer. The data suggests a cancer diagnosis may prompt change in people’s diet, but may limit their ability to exercise. The magnitude of lifestyle change that one can make after a cancer diagnosis may also be influenced by age or social connections. There is great opportunity for integrating healthy lifestyle interventions into routine cancer care. [Table: see text]