Highlights
- •Family caregivers' efforts to change diet for patients with cancer was associated with higher family functioning and lower caregiving strain.
- •Such efforts were also associated with the marriage, healthcare problems, more caregiving time, and caregiving by a family member other than a son.
- •Strategically, family functioning and strain should be considered as modification factors and general family characteristics as tailoring factors for developing dietary interventions in families with cancer.
Abstract
Purpose
Among patients with cancer, it has been found that the family system influences health-related
behaviors and may promote a healthy diet. This study assessed the associations among
cancer patients between family caregiver strain, family functioning, and efforts to
change diet.
Methods
This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in gastrointestinal outpatient
units at two tertiary university hospitals in South Korea. This study included 401
main family caregivers of patients with gastrointestinal cancer. The caregivers were
evaluated using structured, face-to-face questionnaires measuring family strain, family
functioning, and effort to change diet.
Results
Greater effort to change diet was associated with higher family functioning, having
a spouse, and more caregiving time per week. Less effort to change diet was associated
with greater levels of caregiving strain and with a son providing caregiving.
Conclusion
The efforts of family caregivers to alter diet are influenced by family strain and
family functioning, as well as family caregivers’ characteristics, such as marital
status, health problems due to caregiving, care time and duration, and relationship
with the patient. This study suggested that reducing family strain and improving family
functioning in clinical settings facilitate the success to change dietary strategies
for cancer families.
Keywords
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to European Journal of Oncology NursingAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- Nov 1). Marital status and survival in patients with cancer.J. Clin. Oncol. 2013; 31: 3869-3876https://doi.org/10.1200/jco.2013.49.6489
- Relationships between income, subjective health and caregiver burden in caregivers of people with dementia in group living care: a cross-sectional community-based study.Int. J. Nurs. Stud. 2007; 44: 435-446https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2006.08.016
- New frontiers in couple-based interventions in cancer care: refining the prescription for spousal communication.Acta Oncol. 2017; 56: 139-145https://doi.org/10.1080/0284186x.2016.1266079
- The Zarit Burden Interview: a new short version and screening version.Gerontol. 2001; 41: 652-657https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/41.5.652
- Loss of lifestyle: health behaviour and weight changes after becoming a caregiver of a family member diagnosed with ovarian cancer.Support. Care Cancer. 2011; 19 (2011/12/01): 1949-1956https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-010-1035-2
- The effect of caregiver educational program on caregiver reactions and lifestyle behaviors for caregivers of colorectal cancer patients: a quasi-experimental study.Support. Care Cancer. 2022; 30: 4389-4397
- Family-building after breast cancer: considering the effect on adherence to adjuvant endocrine therapy.Clin. Breast Cancer. 2017; 17: 165-170https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clbc.2016.12.002
- Transitions into informal caregiving and out of paid employment of women in their 50s.Soc. Sci. Med. 2008; 67: 122-127https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2008.03.031
- A review of familial correlates of child and adolescent obesity: what has the 21st century taught us so far?.Int. J. Adolesc. Med. Health. 2009; 21: 457-483https://doi.org/10.1515/ijamh.2009.21.4.457
- Supporting the supporters: what family caregivers need to care for a loved one with cancer.J. Oncol. Prac. 2017; 13: 35-41https://doi.org/10.1200/jop.2016.017913
- Reliability and validity of a short version of the general functioning subscale of the McMaster Family Assessment Device.Fam. Process. 2015; 54: 116-123https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12113
- Dietary goal attainment measures and psychosocial factors among Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic whites with type 2 diabetes.Ecol. Food Nutr. 2012; 51: 227-246https://doi.org/10.1080/03670244.2012.674446
- Jan 10). Eating patterns in patients with compensated cirrhosis: a case-control study.Nutrients. 2018; 10https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10010060
- Feb 16). Mortality after the hospitalization of a spouse.New Engl. J. Med. 2006; 354: 719-730https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMsa050196
- Patient and caregiver characteristics associated with depression in caregivers of patients with dementia.J. Gen. Intern. Med. 2003; 18: 1006-1014https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1525-1497.2003.30103.x
- Practical clinical interventions for diet, physical activity, and weight control in cancer survivors.CA Cancer J. Clin. 2015; 65: 167-189https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21265
- A lot of sacrifices:" work-family spillover and the food choice coping strategies of low-wage employed parents.Soc. Sci. Med. 2006; 63: 2591-2603https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2006.06.029
- A systematic scoping review of post-treatment lifestyle interventions for adult cancer survivors and family members.J. Cancer Surviv. 2021; https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-021-01013-x
- Work hours and perceived time barriers to healthful eating among young adults.Am. J. Health Behav. 2012; 36: 786-796https://doi.org/10.5993/ajhb.36.6.6
- Family functioning and quality of parent-adolescent relationship: cross-sectional associations with adolescent weight-related behaviors and weight status.Int. J. Behav. Nutr. Phys. Activ. 2016; 13: 68https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-016-0393-7
- Estimating the cost of informal caregiving for elderly patients with cancer.J. Clin. Oncol. 2001; 19: 3219-3225https://doi.org/10.1200/jco.2001.19.13.3219
- Reliability, validity and reference values of the Zarit Burden Interview for assessing informal caregivers of community-dwelling older persons with dementia.Can. J. Aging. 2000; 19: 494-507
- Associations between family-based stress and dietary inflammatory potential among families with preschool-aged children.Nutrients. 2021; 13https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13051464
- What we talk about when we talk about caregiving: the distribution of roles in cancer patient caregiving in a family-oriented culture.Cancer Res. Treat. 2019; 51: 141-149
- Caring experiences of family caregivers of patients with pancreatic cancer: an integrative literature review. Support.Care Cancer. 2022; 30: 3691-3700
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of parent and family-based interventions for children and adolescents with chronic medical conditions.J. Pediatr. Psychol. 2014; 39: 866-886https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsu032
- Effects of parent-adolescent reported family functioning discrepancy on physical activity and diet among Hispanic youth.J. Fam. Psychol. 2018; 32: 333-342https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000386
- Facilitators and barriers to adoption of a healthy diet in survivors of colorectal cancer.J. Nurs. Scholarsh. 2019; 51: 509-517https://doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12496
- The family assessment device: an update.Fam. Process. 2015; 54: 82-93
- Patient- and family-centered care: a qualitative exploration of oncologist perspectives.Support. Care Cancer. 2017; 25: 213-219https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-016-3414-9
- Influence of stress in parents on child obesity and related behavior.Pediatrics. 2012; 130: e1096-e1104https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2012-0895
- How do family-caregivers of patients with advanced cancer provide symptom self-management support? A qualitative study.Eur. J. Oncol. Nurs. 2020; 48: 101795https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejon.2020.101795
- Correlates of physical health of informal caregivers: a meta-analysis.J. Gerontol. B. 2007; 62: P126-P137https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/62.2.p126
- Spouses, adult children, and children-in-law as caregivers of older adults: a meta-analytic comparison.Psychol. Aging. 2011; 26: 1-14https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021863
- Becoming a caregiver: experiences of young adults moving into family caregiving roles.J. Adult Dev. 2022; 29: 147-158
- Family functioning and medical adherence across children and adolescents with chronic health conditions: a meta-analysis.J. Pediatr. Psychol. 2019; 44: 84-97https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsy044
- Adherence to multiple treatment recommendations in adolescents and young adults with cancer: a mixed methods, multi-informant investigation.J. Adolesc. Young Adult Oncol. 2020; 9: 651-661https://doi.org/10.1089/jayao.2020.0013
- Family functioning, parental psychological distress, child behavioural problems, socio-economic disadvantage and fruit and vegetable consumption among 4-12 year-old Victorians, Australia.Health Promot. Int. 2011; 26: 263-275https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daq054
- Practical clinical interventions for diet, physical activity, and weight control in cancer patients.CA Cancer J. 2015; 65 (167–89)
- Models of support to family members during the trajectory of cancer: a scoping review.J. Clin. Nurs. 2021; 30: 3072-3098https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15832
- Does family caregiver burden differ between elderly and younger caregivers in supporting dying patients with cancer? An Italian study.Am. J. Hospice Palliat. Med. 2019; 37 (2020/08/01): 576-581https://doi.org/10.1177/1049909119890840
- Review of the literature on the effects of caring for a patient with cancer.Psycho-Oncol. 2010; 19: 1013-1025https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.1670
- Global cancer statistics 2020: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries.CA A Cancer J. Clin. 2021; 71: 209-249
- The GLOBOCAN 2020 Database. Latest Global Cancer Data. 2020
- Social inequalities in the burden of care: a dyadic analysis in the caregiving partners of persons with a physical disability.Int. J. Equity Health. 2019; 19 (-3): 3https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-019-1112-1
- Predictors of caregiver burden in aged caregivers of demented older patients.BMC Geriatr. 2021; 21 (2021/01/14): 59https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-021-02007-1
- Predictors of caregiver burden in aged caregivers of demented older patients.BMC Geriatr. 2021; 21: 59https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-021-02007-1
- Energy balance and gastrointestinal cancer: risk, interventions, outcomes and mechanisms.Nat. Rev. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 2018; 15: 683-698https://doi.org/10.1038/s41575-018-0053-2
- Exploring the role of family functioning in the association between frequency of family dinners and dietary intake among adolescents and young adults.JAMA Netw. Open. 2018; 1 (-e185217)e185217
- Perceptions and experiences of nutritional management needs for patients with esophageal cancer during the peri-radiotherapy period: a qualitative study.Asia Pac. J. Oncol. Nurs. 2022; 9: 202-209
- Efficacy of interventions with caregivers: a reanalysis.Gerontol. 1991; 31: 9-14https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/31.1.9
Article info
Publication history
Published online: December 27, 2022
Accepted:
December 18,
2022
Received in revised form:
November 29,
2022
Received:
May 9,
2022
Identification
Copyright
© 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
