E-poster Presentation 2014 World Cancer Congress

The Healthy Living after Cancer Partnership Project (#617)

Elizabeth Eakin 1 , Sandi Hayes 2 , Marion Haas 3 , Marina Reeves 1 , Ana Goode 1 , Janette Vardy 4 , Fran Boyle 5 , Janet Hiller 6 , Gita Mishra 1 , Michael Jefford 7 , Bogda Koczwara 8 , Wendy Demark-Wahnefried 9 , Kerry Courneya 10 , Lorna O'Brien 11 , Anna Boltong 12 , Katherine Lane 12 , Greg Sharplin 13 , Benita Heritage 13 , Lesley Millar 14 , Sandy McKiernan 14 , Erin Robson 1
  1. School of Population Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
  2. School of Public Health and Social Work, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
  3. Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  4. Concord Clinical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  5. Patricia Ritchie Centre for Cancer Care & Research, Mater Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  6. School of Health Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Vic, Australia
  7. Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre, Peter MacCullum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Vic, Australia
  8. Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, Australia
  9. Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
  10. Behavioural Medicine Laboratory, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
  11. Cancer Council NSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  12. Cancer Council Victoria, Melbourne, Vic, Australia
  13. Cancer Council SA, Adelaide, SA, Australia
  14. Cancer Council WA, Perth, WA, Australia

Background and Context: There is considerable evidence for the efficacy of physical activity, diet and weight loss interventions in improving health outcomes for cancer survivors, but limited uptake into practice.

Aim: Healthy Living after Cancer (HLaC) is an evidence-based, telephone-delivered lifestyle intervention targeting cancer survivors. This paper describes the translation of HLaC into practice in partnership with Australian state-based Cancer Councils.

Strategy/Tactics: Cancer Councils were approached as they had an existing service delivery model (i.e., Cancer Helplines). A two-year translation process involved numerous contacts with Cancer Council stakeholders, with emphasis on “fit” of HLaC with Cancer Council strategic planning. Ten national and international academic, clinical, program and policy investigators and consumer advocates were engaged via extension of established research collaborations. A trials group-sponsored Concept Development Workshop was held, which solidified partner buy-in leading to a collaboratively-developed Partnership Proposal submitted to and funded by the NHMRC.

Programme/Policy Process: HLaC will integrate a six-month, telephone-delivered lifestyle intervention (and program evaluation) into the Cancer Helplines of four partner Cancer Councils (NSW, Vic, SA, WA). The project plan involves three phases over five years: infrastructure and capacity building; implementation and evaluation; and advocacy for continued funding, pending successful findings. Primary outcomes in this single-group, pre-post design dissemination study are related to program implementation: adoption (i.e., patient referrals from cancer treatment centres); reach, retention and representativeness of program participants (i.e., cancer survivors); fidelity of program implementation and evaluation by the Cancer Councils; participant and staff satisfaction; documentation of the fixed and recurrent costs associated with program delivery. Secondary (participant-reported) outcomes are: physical activity and dietary behaviour change, weight and quality of life.

Outcomes/What was learned: Integration of evidence, utilisation of existing models of care delivery, engagement with multiple stakeholders, and capacity building are critical to the translation of interventions to improve healthy living after cancer.