Poster Presentation 2025 Joint Meeting of the COSA ASM and IPOS Congress

National landscape of needs-analysis assessment to promote equitable exercise and diet referrals in oncology practice: the NEEDS study (126030)

Brent J Cunningham 1 , Kate A Bolam 1 2 , Brenton J Baguley 3 , Hattie H Wright 1 , Tamara L Jones 4 , Briana K Clifford 5 , Mary A Kennedy 6 , Amy M Dennett 7 , Tina L Skinner 5 , Elizabeth P Pinkham 8 , Nicolas H Hart 6 9 , Pamela J Meredith 1 10 , Bryan A Chan 1 11 12 , Alexandra Metse 13 14 , Grace L Rose 1 10
  1. School of Health, Cancer Research Cluster, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sunshine Coast, QLD, Australia
  2. Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  3. Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  4. Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  5. School of Health Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  6. School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA, Australia
  7. La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  8. Princess Alexandria Hospital, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
  9. INSIGHT Research Institute, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  10. University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
  11. Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service, Sunshine Coast, QLD, Australia
  12. Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
  13. School of Health, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sunshine Coast, QLD, Australia
  14. School of Psychological Sciences, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia

Background: Exercise and diet are critical components of supportive cancer care, yet referrals to these allied health specialists are infrequent. Needs-analysis assessments, to prioritise people most at risk of poor treatment outcomes, may help improve referral rates and appropriateness. However, current needs-analysis practices for diet and exercise referrals in Australian oncology settings are unknown, as are provider recommendations for improvement.

Procedures: Health and medical professionals involved in cancer care (>500 hours of experience) were recruited via convenience and snowball sampling. Participants completed a survey about their service’s current needs-analysis practices for exercise and diet referrals and provided recommendations for improvement. Quantitative data were descriptively summarised; qualitative responses were thematically analysed.

Results: Participants (n=100) included medical (26%), nursing (26%) and allied health (48%) professionals from public and private services across all Australian states (80% metropolitan, 20% regional-rural). Overall, 57% of professionals reported that their service used a needs-analysis assessment, most commonly for nutrition screening (29%). Common tools included the Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST), Body Mass Index (BMI), and 24-hour food recall for diet; and BMI, 6-minute walk test, and Supportive Care Needs Survey for exercise. Diet-based assessments led to referrals 38% of the time, whereas exercise-based assessments led to referral 16% of the time. A majority (62%) of respondents expressed a desire for improved evidence-based needs-analysis tools. Priorities included the need for pre-treatment screening, cancer- and treatment-specific tools, and a brief standardised tool integrating both diet and exercise. Other provider-informed recommendations for implementation and improvement will be discussed.

Conclusions and clinical implications: Although exercise and diet are critical to cancer care, formalised needs-analysis and referral rates remain low, with assessments often prioritising diet alone. Exercise-related assessment and referral follow-through are particularly lacking. Clinicians desire concise, standardised tools, which further research can develop to enhance referral consistency, equitable access, and patient outcomes.