People who have a family member with cancer may be more likely to get cancer themselves. How a person looks after their health can also affect their cancer risk, actions known as “health behaviours”. When a family member is diagnosed with cancer, people often only make changes to medical behaviours, such as going to the doctor, rather than lifestyle behaviours, like eating healthier. In this study, Beth and her supervisor wanted to understand why this is the case.

This study aimed to see how the cancer diagnosis of a person affects the health behaviours of their close family members, like parents, children, brothers, or sisters. Beth is keen on Public and Patient Involvement and incorporated this into the design of her study and the interpretation of the results. The design of the study was shaped by speaking with national cancer support groups, researchers, and the people who took part in the study.

Nine online interviews took place with relatives of cancer survivors (six children, two siblings, one parent) that live in Ireland. Family members reported being more conscious of their health following their family members’ diagnosis, however, this did not result in many lifestyle changes. The reasons people gave for not making lifestyle changes were: believing that existing behaviours were already healthy, the high effort of making changes, and not wanting to let fear change how they live their lives. Relatives experienced the negative impact of their family members’ cancer on their overall wellbeing and on family relationships. Importantly, participants reported a number of unmet needs for support and information.

Better supports for relatives would likely help them cope better with managing their cancer risk and wellbeing after their family member’s diagnosis. Healthcare organisations should take participants’ unmet needs and what can be done to satisfy these needs into consideration. This could lead to reduced cancer cases in relatives of cancer patients and also peace of mind for those who have already dealt with a great deal.

Through the Summer Studentship experience, Beth was able to gain practical skills in conducting, analysing, and reporting qualitative research. Beth hopes to publish her findings in an academic journal soon.

The Summer Studentship programme offers undergraduate students the opportunity to undertake a cancer research project and to work with established researchers in high-quality academic environments. The Irish Cancer Society is delighted with the success of Beth’s work and we wish her all the best with her studies and future career.