What are colorectal cancer survivors’ preferences for dietary advice? A best-worst discrete choice experiment

PURPOSE: Studies on healthy lifestyle interventions in survivors of colorectal cancer have been disappointing, demonstrating only modest changes. This study aims to quantify people’s preferences for different aspects of dietary intervention. METHOD: A best-worst discrete choice experiment was designed and incorporated into a questionnaire including participants’ characteristics and a self-assessment of lifestyle. RESULTS: The response rate was 68% and 179 questionnaires were analysed. When analysing aggregate preferences, the modes of information provision selected as the most preferred were “face-to-face” (willingness to pay (WTP) £63.97, p ≤ 0.001) and “telephone” (WTP £62.36, p < 0.001) discussions whereas group discussions were preferred least (WTP −£118.96, p ≤ 0.001). Scenarios that included hospitals were most preferred (WTP £17.94, p = 0.031), and the favoured provider was bowel cancer nurses (WTP £75.11, p ≤ 0.001). When investigating preference heterogeneity, three sub-groups were identified: Firstly, “technophiles” preferring email (WTP £239.60, p ≤ 0.001) were male, were younger and had fewer risk factors. Secondly, a “one-to-one” group had strong preference for interventions over the telephone or at their local doctors and were older (WTP £642.13, p ≤ 0.001). Finally, a “person-centred” group preferred face-to-face individual or group sessions (WTP £358.79, p < 0.001) and had a high risk lifestyle. CONCLUSION: For survivors of colorectal cancer, there is not one approach that suits all when it comes to providing dietary advice. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: This is important information to consider when planning healthy lifestyle interventions which include dietary advice for survivors of colorectal cancer. Aligning services to individuals’ preferences has the potential to improve patient experience and outcomes by increasing uptake of healthy lifestyle advice services and promoting a more tailored approach to dietary modifications, acknowledging sub-groups of people within the total population of colorectal cancer survivors. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11764-017-0615-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.