PCFU LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION
REPLICATION MANUAL

Here you can find the PanCareFollowUp Lifestyle Intervention Replication Manual. This Replication Manual was developed within the EU-funded PanCareFollowUp project to support the wider use of the PanCareFollowUp Lifestyle Intervention across Europe. It equips other long-term follow-up care clinics with essential tools for the successful implementation of a similar intervention for CAYA cancer survivors in their clinics.

Please take a closer look at the details about the Lifestyle Intervention on this website. If you’d like to replicate it, please contact us via info@pancare.eu. We will provide you the Intervention Manual, a guide for lifestyle coaches with possible barriers and facilitators for adopting a healthy lifestyle behavior, and feedback questionnaire templates.

What is the PanCareFollowUp Lifestyle Intervention?

The PanCareFollowUp Lifestyle Intervention is a state-of-the-art, person-centred approach to lifestyle support for survivors of childhood, adolescent, and young adult (CAYA) cancer in the context of Survivorship Care.

The PanCareFollowUp Lifestyle Intervention at a glance:

  1. Invitation: If a survivor is overweight or exercises too little, the healthcare provider invites the survivor to participate in the PanCareFollowUp Lifestyle Intervention.
  2. Intake session: A certified lifestyle coach with knowledge about CAYA cancer survivorship schedules an intake session with the survivor. Together, they define a personal lifestyle goal to be achieved in 4 months time. This goal should be related to improving weight, diet, or the amount of exercise.
  3. Intervention: In these 4 months, the survivor tries to achieve this goal and is guided by the lifestyle coach during 3-6 individual, online sessions.
  4. Reflection session: At the end of the 4 months, the survivor and coach reflect on the progress that was made and schedule a follow-up session in another 4 months time.
  5. Subsequent period and follow-up session: In the meantime, the survivor will try to maintain the lifestyle changes on their own. During the follow-up reflection session the coach and the survivor discuss how the survivor maintained the lifestyle changes.

What is the PanCareFollowUp project?

PanCareFollowUp was an EU-funded project looking at how to best deliver Survivorship Care to survivors of childhood and adolescent cancer in Europe. One of the key outcomes of the project is the state-of-the-art Lifestyle Intervention and its accompanying correspnding Replication manual.

Why has the Lifestyle Intervention been developed?

Over recent decades, the five-year survival rates of childhood cancer in Europe have increased substantially, from 30% in the 1970s to 80% in early 2000. Today, the European population of childhood cancer survivors, estimated as at least 300,000, is rising by about 12,000 survivors per year.

Lifestyle and higher risk of late effects

A cancer diagnosis and treatment during childhood can increase the risk for various physical and psychosocial health risks later in life, known as late effects. Physical inactivity and unhealthy diet habits can further increase these risks. While lifelong monitoring of late effects is essential, survivors can reduce their risks or lessen the impact of some late effects by adopting and maintaining healthy lifestyle habits. To learn more about healthy lifestyle habits for CAYA cancer survivors, read the PanCare Guideline on Health Promotion or the corresponding PLAIN language summary in lay language.

Person-centred approach

CAYA cancer survivors are a very heterogeneous group: Their needs may vary depending on their original diagnosis, treatment, physical or emotional challenges, and the risk of late effects. The personalised approach of the Lifestyle Intervention (1:1 coachings) accommodates these differences and aims to empower survivors based on their unique situation.

eHealth interventions

Improving lifestyle habits (e.g. eating healthy, regular exercise, and maintaining a healthy weight) can be challenging without any external support and the participation in on-site lifestyle programs can be time consuming. Therefore, the PanCareFollowUp Lifestyle Intervention was developed to be delivered online, preventing the need for survivors to invest time travelling back and forth.

Future implementation of the PanCareFollowUp Lifestyle Intervention in new settings

Ensuring that the PanCareFollowUp Lifestyle intervention is used in the real world after the project ends is paramount to achieve enduring improvements to Survivorship Care. Recognising that implementation is a complex process, requiring more than just development of the intervention components and materials

Contact

If you have any questions about the PanCareFollowUp Lifestyle Intervention Replication Manual in general or if you would like to request access to the Intervention Manual, please contact us via info@pancare.eu.

Disclaimer

PanCare strives to provide accurate and complete information that is up-to-date as of the date of publication.

No warranty or representation, expressed or implied, is made concerning the accuracy, reliability, completeness, relevance, or timeliness of this information.

The PanCare materials are free to use for anyone aiming to inform about late effects and long-term survivorship care. However, no financial advantage may be achieved. All communication should reference PanCare and link to the PanCare website.

PanCareFollowUp has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 824982. The material presented and views expressed here are the responsibility of the author(s) only. The EU Commission takes no responsibility for any use made of the information set out.