Preventive Behaviors of French Cancer Patients and How They Changed During the COVID-19 Outbreak (PAPESCO-19 Study).

OBJECTIVES

In the context of the COVID-19 epidemic, adopting preventive behavior could be defined as complying with recommendations issued by public health authorities. The aim of this study was to investigate heterogeneity of preventive behavior changes over time among cancer patients (CPs) during outbreak.

METHODS

The PAPESCO-19 study is a multicenter prospective cohort including 893 CPs from French comprehensive cancer centers (June 2020- June 2021). During the 1-year follow-up, CPs completed questionnaires on socio-demographics, lifestyle and COVID-19-related history. Biological and clinical data were collected from medical records. We used the R package lcmm to determine the different classes of preventive behavior trajectories in CPs.

RESULTS

Between June 2020 and April 2022, over two-thirds of CPs reported wearing a mask during all outings. Only one class of preventive behavior was identified. Female CPs, those on sick leave, CPs unable to work due to health reasons and those spending most of the day at home, showed more preventive behavior. CPs with two or more children were less likely to adopt preventive behavior.

CONCLUSION

No patient clinical characteristics were associated with preventive behavior.