A Better Me? An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the Experiences of Female Cancer Survivors' Heightened Preoccupation With 'Healthy Eating

Bibliographic Data

ID4611565
AuthorsE Eisenberg (0009-0006-6711-1428, University of London, corresponding author), Daphne Josselin (University of London)
Year2024
Volume34
Issue8-9
Pages768-782
Publication date2024-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueQualitative Health Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1049-7323 • E-ISSN: 1552-7557
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/10497323231224777
PMID38229483
OpenAlexW4390952103
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited45

The end of treatment is known to be a particularly challenging time for many cancer survivors as they transition to coping with their condition independently. They may engage in health behaviours, such as implementing drastic dietary changes to manage the side effects of treatment they have undergone or as a way to assuage their anxiety. Understanding cancer survivors' heightened preoccupation with healthy eating is therefore fundamental to our understanding of the psychological phenomenology of cancer. This study explored how people who have developed a heightened preoccupation with healthy eating after a cancer diagnosis make sense of this change. Eight participants were recruited through social media. They each engaged in a semi-structured interview over Zoom concerning their changed relationship with food following cancer. Their accounts were then analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). The article focuses on four group experiential themes arising from the analysis: Open and Enlightened About Food, Becoming a Better Me?, Developing a New Passion for Nutrition, and Becoming Consumed by Food. The themes that arose from the analysis speak to the experience of becoming a 'better' person from having lived through cancer and developed a new relationship with food. Instead of seeing illness as a loss, several of the participants reported a positive shift linked to having developed an interest in healthy eating, something which became central to their identity. However, others experienced their new engagement with healthy eating as a preoccupation that engulfed them. These findings are discussed in light of existing theory and research, and their clinical implications are outlined. Areas for future research are also suggested

Anxiety · Experiential learning · Interpretative phenomenological analysis · Lived experience · Psychiatry · Psychology of self · Psychotherapist · Qualitative research · Sociology · Cancer survivorship and care · Childhood Cancer Survivors' Quality of Life · Clinical Psychology · Family Support in Illness · Psychology · Social Psychology