Group-Based Health Education Interventions for Improving Health Knowledge and Health-Promoting Behaviors of Survivors of Childhood and Adolescent Cancer

Abstract

Survivors of childhood and adolescent cancer often experience late effects and health problems resulting from cancer treatments. However, they may not be aware of the importance of health-promoting behaviors due to a lack of health-related knowledge. In this study, 4 weeks of group education on improving health-promoting behaviors among survivors of childhood and adolescent cancer were implemented with 10 participants in an experimental group and 10 participants in a comparison group using a pre–post experimental design. The experimental group showed a statistically significant improvement in the level of cancer-related health knowledge; the comparison group showed no significant changes before and after the intervention. The experimental group participated in a focus group and reported that after group education, their self-awareness and health-promoting behavior improved. This study suggests the importance of group educational interventions in improving health-related knowledge and health-promoting behavior among survivors of childhood and adolescent cancer.