Lifestyle Factors and Health Related Quality of Life in Vietnamese Women After Cancer

Abstract

Background: A range of lifestyle factors and health related quality of life (HRQoL) influence cancer survivors' health, wellbeing, and survival. Some women who have received treatment of breast and gynecologic cancer (BCG) report lifestyle practices and HRQoL at lower levels than the general community. However, the impacts of factors such as socio-demographic characteristics and health status on lifestyle factors and HRQoL, and the interactions between these variables in terms of their influence on HRQoL are not fully understood. Aim: This study aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the relationships between lifestyle factors and HRQoL and to identify the socio-demographic factors, health status, and behavioral determinants of these variables among Vietnamese women following treatment of BGC. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used. Data were collected from 330 Vietnamese women who had received treatment of BCG using both online and paper-based methods. Descriptive statistics, bivariate and multivariate statistics were used to examine associations and structural equational modeling was used to identify the interactions between the study's variables. Results: Although the majority of the study participants had a normal range of BMI ( n=260, 81.2%) with the mean BMI was 22.02 ( SD=2.52), engagement in a range of healthy lifestyle behaviors was low at. More than 75% of the study participants had a deficit in physical health and mental health compared with the norms. Participants' cancer-specific HRQoL score was 80.61 ( SD= 15.81) which is lower than that of normal population (85.9). Sleep impairment had a significant indirect effect on mental health ( indirect effect= -.030, P < .05) and cancer-specific HRQoL ( indirect effect= -.017, P < .05). Exercise self-efficacy significantly and indirectly influenced mental health ( indirect effect= .022, P < .05). Conclusion: This study highlights that there are deficits in the HRQoL of Vietnamese women following BGC and they had lower than recommended levels of engagement in healthy lifestyle behaviors. Participants also had high levels of sleep impairment and low levels of self-efficacy to follow a healthy diet or exercise. The indirect effects identified in this study indicate that health care professionals should provide information and community support focused on improving HRQoL and improving sleep impairment and self-efficacy.