• Kathleen Garrett, Sonia Okuyama, Whitney Jones, Denise Barnes, Zung Tran, Lynn Spencer, Karl Lewis, Paul Maroni, Margaret Chesney, and Al Marcus.
• University of Colorado at Denver, Department of Cancer Prevention and Control, USA. Kathleen.garrett@ucdenver.edu
• Patient Educ Couns. 2013 Aug 1;92(2):266-72.

ObjectiveTo develop a feasibility study of a theory-driven telephone counseling program to enhance psychosocial and physical well-being for cancer survivors after treatment.MethodsParticipants (n=66) were recruited from two Colorado hospitals with self-administered questionnaires at baseline and two weeks post-intervention. The one group, intervention only design included up to six thematic telephone counseling sessions over three months. Topics included nutrition, physical activity, stress management, and medical follow-up. Primary outcomes were cancer-specific distress, self-reported fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity.ResultsOf 66 subjects, 46 completed at least one counseling module and the follow-up assessment (70% retention rate). Mean satisfaction was 9 out of 10, and all participants would recommend C-STEPS to other survivors. Cancer-specific distress (Impact of Event Scale - Intrusion subscale) decreased for entire study population (p<0.001) and stress management session participants (p<0.001). Fruit and vegetable consumption increased for nutrition and exercise session participants (p=0.02) and the entire sample (p=NS). Physical activity increased in the entire group (p=0.006) and for nutrition and exercise session participants (p=0.01).Conclusion And Practice ImplicationsC-STEPS is a feasible telephone counseling program that transcends geographic barriers, demonstrating the potential to decrease distress and promote coping and healthy lifestyles among cancer survivors.Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

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