Health-Promoting Lifestyle among the Survivors of Colorectal Cancer: An Integrative Review

Health-promoting lifestyle (HPL) among the survivors of colorectal cancer (CRC) is essential to reduce CRC complications, prevent its recurrence, and improve survival. Nonetheless, there is no comprehensive definition for the concept of HPL in CRC survivors. This study aimed to define the concept of HPL among CRC survivors based on the existing literature.

This integrative review was conducted in 2021 using Whittemore and Knafl’s method. The national and international databases of SID, Magiran, ProQuest, Medline, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched. Quality appraisal was performed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) and the data were analyzed using the four-step approach proposed by Whittemore and Knafl.

After data evaluation, 167 documents were included in final analysis. In total, 1863 codes were generated and categorized into eighteen main categories and the three main themes of antecedents, attributes, and consequences. Accordingly, HPL among CRC survivors was defined as “a set of behaviors in the areas of health responsibility, physical activity, nutrition, spiritual growth, psychological management, and interpersonal relations which are affected by socio-demographic characteristics, clinical characteristics, psychological status, physical conditions, time and place limitations, and patient education, and lead to better disease prognosis, better general health status, better bio-psycho-social status, and better quality of life”.

The definition of HPL among CRC survivors provided in the present study can be used in counseling, educational, supportive, and care programs for CRC survivors in order to improve their quality of life and survival.