West, Sarah L

Objectives/purpose: This study examined the psychosocial health (including resilience, hope, social functioning, mental wellbeing, and stress) of childhood cancer patients attending a recreational oncology camp (ROC).Methods: Childhood cancer patients enrolled for ROC participated in a survey on the first (T1) and last (T2) day of camp, and 3 months post-camp (T3). This survey included the: Child and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM), Children's Hope Scale (CHS), Social Provisions Scale (SPS-5), and Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS). Afternoon saliva samples were collected at T1 and T2 to determine cortisol (ELISA). Results: CYRM, SPS-5, and SWEMWBS scores were high but did not differ between timepoints. CHS scores at T3 were lower compared to T1 and T2 (F=9.388, p=0.008). Salivary cortisol levels were within normal ranges. Conclusion/clinical implications: Childhood cancer patients have high levels of positive psychosocial variables and normal stress levels while attending ROC.

Author Keywords: cancer, children, hope, oncology camp, psychosocial health

Nurses have a vital role in counselling their patients towards healthier living. However, nurses tend to have poor metabolic health that may be influenced by lifestyle. Whether this begins during their nursing education is poorly understood. Undergraduate nursing (n=42) and biology (n=15) students had their metabolic health assessed through body measurements, fasting blood glucose and lipids. Lifestyle factors of physical activity, nutrition, stress, and sleep were assessed using questionnaires, accelerometry, diet logs, and heart rate variability. At an individual level, 31.0% of nursing students are at-risk of poor metabolic health. Results suggest that nursing students are sedentary, obtaining poor sleep quality, consuming elevated amounts of saturated fat, and perceiving themselves to be under mild stress. The implementation of lifestyle interventions should be considered for this cohort. However, few differences were found between nursing and biology groups, indicating that the results are potentially generalizable to a larger group of undergraduate students.

Author Keywords: metabolic health, nursing students, nutrition, physical activity, psychological stress, sleep quality