JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Accessible, science-driven dietary and nutrition resources tailored for people affected by cancer are limited. Launched by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the Cook for Your Life (cookforyourlife.org) is a bilingual website providing science-based nutrition and culinary information for people affected by cancer.

Objective:

This paper describes the history of the Cook for Your Life website and information on its users based on an online survey and website utilization data.

Methods:

Starting in December 2020, Cook for Your Life website visitors ≥18 years old were invited to participate in an online English language survey. A Spanish version was offered in April 2021. Demographic, health status and behavior, and cooking characteristics were collected. Persons with a cancer history were asked a subset of questions about treatment and side effects. Data were analyzed through December 2021 on those completing at least 50% of the survey. Three groups were compared: people with a cancer diagnosis, primary caregivers of cancer survivors, and the general public. Website utilization data were also compared.

Results:

Among English language (EL) respondents, 3346 initiated the survey and 2665 (79.6%) completed at least half of the questions. Of these, 54.8% had a cancer diagnosis, 8.3% were caregivers, and 36.9% were from the general public. Most EL respondents were US residents (77.1%), with some from Europe (10.7%) and Canada (6.4%). Cancer survivors were most likely to be ≥55 years old, female, non-Hispanic white, have income >$100K, and be college educated. Caregivers and the general public were younger and more racially and geographically diverse. The two most common cancer histories among EL cancer survivors were breast (45.1%) and gastrointestinal (15.0%). Among Spanish language (SL) respondents, 942 initiated the survey and 681 (72.3%) were analyzed. Of these, 13.5% were cancer survivors, 6.8% caregivers, and 79.7% from the general public. SL respondents were also more likely to be female and highly educated, but were younger, from South/Latin America, and had income <$30K compared to EL respondents. Among SL cancer survivors, breast (33.3%) and gastrointestinal cancer (18.5%) were the most common diagnoses. Website utilization data on approximately 2.1 million users from December 2020 to December 2021 showed 58% of traffic in English and 42% in Spanish. Compared to online survey respondents, a higher proportion of overall website users were male, younger, and from South and Central America and Europe.

Conclusions:

The Cook for Your Life website users were diverse in terms of demographic, socioeconomic, and geographic characteristics, especially among EL respondents without a cancer history and among all SL respondents. Research to improve knowledge about effective strategies to use this digital platform to improve cancer prevention and control through evidence-based nutrition strategies will continue.