Factors Predicting Health Promoting Behaviors of Breast Cancer Survivors in Extended Survivorship*

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to examine health promoting behaviors and predictive factors between education level, income, depression, prior health promoting behavior, perceived benefits, perceived self-efficacy, perceived barriers, social support and health promoting behaviors of breast cancer survivors in extended survivorship. A conceptual framework used in this study was the Health Promotion Model (Pender, 2006). The subjects were 259 survivors of breast cancer at 1 month post-treatment and thereafter, undergoing treatment at the Out-Patient Department of King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Faculty of Medicine Vajira Hospital, and Lopburi Cancer Center. Questionnaires were used to collect personal data, prior related behavior, perceived benefits, perceived self-efficacy, perceived barriers, social support, depression and health promoting behaviors. The questionnaires were tested for their content validity by a panel of expert. Their Cronbach^, s alpha coefficients were .7, .88, .84, .81, .85, .93 and .85 respectively. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and stepwise multiple regression. The major findings were as follows:

         1. Health promoting behaviors of breast cancer survivors in extended survivorship was at good level (= 80.92, S.D. = 8.31)

         2. Prior health promoting behavior, perceived benefits, perceived self-efficacy, perceived barriers and social support were significant predictors of health promoting behaviors of cancer survivors in extended survivorship (p< .05). They explained 75 percent of the variance in health promoting behaviors.