One third of Australians affected by cancer live in regional, rural or remote areas. They not only experience the challenges associated with a diagnosis of cancer in any setting, but also a number of additional stressors, largely as a result of their requirement to travel for treatment. This often comes with many social, emotional, practical and financial costs. The completion of cancer treatment and transition from urban centres back to rural communities can also present challenges for rural cancer survivors.
This talk will provide a brief overview of rural/urban disparities in cancer treatment outcomes and access to psychosocial care, and describe an online intervention, designed using Participatory Action Research to encourage rural South Australians affected by cancer to access relevant psychosocial support and optimal medical treatment.
Data on the differences between the self-reported health, mental health and health-promoting behaviors of rural and urban South Australian adults with a history of cancer (N= 4,295) will also be presented. These differences include rural cancer survivors’ increased risk of diabetes, alcohol-related harm, obesity and limited engagement in physical activity, but greater trust in their communities and lower levels of self-reported psychological distress. The talk will conclude with the preliminary results of a qualitative exploration into what rural cancer survivors perceive as their greatest challenges after completing active treatment and returning home, and how they would like existing services to be reoriented and new services to be developed, so that their unmet needs are more appropriately addressed.