%I UCL (University College London)
%P 1-475
%A Gemma Pugh
%X There is growing recognition that teenage and young adult (TYA) cancer survivors should
adopt a healthy lifestyle in order to reduce the impact a cancer diagnosis has upon growth and
development as well as long-term health. There is a need for health behaviour change
interventions to be developed for TYA cancer survivors’ in the UK which, in line with the
National Cancer Survivorship Initiative, should be effective, inexpensive, and have the
potential to be rolled out nationwide. In order to address this need, the aim of this thesis was
to develop a health behaviour intervention specifically for TYA cancer survivors. Specifically
this thesis includes: a systematic review of existing interventions targeting health behaviour
change among TYA cancer survivors; data on the proportion of TYA cancer survivors meeting
current health behaviour recommendations in comparison to TYAs within the general
population (Study 1); and both quantitative and qualitative data on TYA cancer survivors
interest in receiving health behaviour information and preference regarding the format,
delivery, and timing of such information (Study 2 and Study 3). The results of the literature
review and the results of studies 1-3 were combined with data on health professionals’ views
of health behaviour intervention delivery to young people with cancer (Study 4) to inform the
development of a collection of health behaviour change intervention resources containing
comprehensive lifestyle information and behaviour change support tools. These intervention
resources were then formatively evaluated by TYA cancer survivors and TYA health
professionals for relevance, appeal and usability (Study 5). Results demonstrate TYA cancer
survivors have a high level of interest in receiving health behaviour change support and would
be open to engaging with the proposed intervention materials. The findings from this thesis
contribute towards the development of a best practice health behaviour intervention for TYA
cancer survivors. Such an intervention could be widely disseminated leading to an
improvement in TYA cancer survivorship.
%T Health Behaviour Change Among Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Survivors
%D 2018
%L discovery10041082
%O Third party copyright material has been removed from ethesis.