Attitudes And Motivations To Practice A Healthy Lifestyle Among Individuals At High Risk For Colorectal Cancer: A Qualitative Study

Objective:This study aims to investigate the awareness and attitudes of individuals at high risk of colorectal cancer(CRC)toward a healthy lifestyle to prevent CRC,as well as the factors that influence them to practice a healthy lifestyle,in order to provide guidance for medical professionals working on the promotion of healthy lifestyle behaviors among people at high risk of CRC.Methods:Qualitative descriptive research techniques were used in this study.Using the maximum variance purpose sampling approach,twenty individuals at high risk of CRC were chosen from a third-level hospital in Changchun to participate in the study.The interview framework was created using constructivism theory along with relevant domestic and international literature.The Ethics Committee of the Nursing School of Jilin University approved this study,and all participants agreed and signed the informed consent form.Data were collected through face-to-face semi-structured interviews,and the interview process was recorded.The recordings were transcribed verbatim into text and imported into NVivo 12.0 qualitative analysis software for data management.The interview texts were analysed using thematic analysis,and the themes were finally developed.Data analysis was carried out in parallel with the collection(within 24 hours of the interview).Results:Based on in-depth interviews and analysis of twenty individuals at high risk of CRC,overreaching three core themes were as followed: “Limited disease knowledge and individualised self-awareness of CRC risk”,“Diverse attitudes towards healthy lifestyles for CRC prevention” and “Factors that affect life behaviour modification/maintenance”.1.“Limited disease knowledge and individualised self-awareness of CRC risk”includes three sub-themes:(1)“Don’t know much about it” — little knowledge of CRC(2)Measuring self-CRC risk from diverse perspectives(3)Strategies to increase risk perception and prevention awareness2.“Diverse attitudes towards healthy lifestyles for CRC prevention” includes two sub-themes:(1)Individualised understanding of a healthy lifestyle(2)Diverse perspective toward the role of healthy lifestyles in CRC prevention3.“Factors that affect life behaviour modification/maintenance” includes two sub-themes:(1)“There are old and young at home”—family duties lead to health-nurturing practices;(2)“There are old and young at home” ——Exhausted by family duties;Conclusions:A descriptive qualitative research method was used to conduct in-depth interviews with 20 individuals at high risk of CRC in a tertiary hospital in Changchun.The results of this study confirmed that the majority of people at risk of CRC lack knowledge about CRC and its prevention,and the reasons for this were also explored.Perspectives about the content of a healthy lifestyle and its effectiveness in preventing CRC varied among high-risk people and are mainly influenced by sociocultural and personal life experiences.These results provided direction and recommendations for subsequent health literacy training and content for individuals at high risk of CRC.Factors associated with the implementation of a healthy lifestyle among high-risk populations were also analysed.The findings suggested that family responsibility as a core motivator and its associated factors positively and negatively influenced the behaviour of those at risk to adopt or maintain a healthy lifestyle.This will help health workers and researchers to gain a deeper understanding of the motivations for behavioural change and to develop targeted interventions to increase the likelihood of maintaining a healthy lifestyle in people at risk of CRC.Finally,this study explores strategies to improve the credibility of CRC prevention information from the perspective of CRC high-risk populations and provides reliable suggestions and a basis for the development of high-quality health information campaigns and intervention plans in the future.