Table 1 Baseline characteristics of participants (n = 133)
|  | Control (n = 58) | Intervention (n = 75) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Characteristic | N | % (of responses) | Sample size | N | % (of responses) | Sample size |
Age, years, Mean (SD) | 58.1 (11.2) | 57 | 56.2 (12.6) | 75 | ||
  Female gender | 43 | 74.1 | 58 | 60 | 80.0 | 75 |
  Married/de facto | 38 | 66.7 | 57 | 55 | 73.3 | 75 |
Completed post-school qualifications | 41 | 71.9 | 57 | 54 | 73.0 | 74 |
Employed (full-time or part-time) | 26 | 45.6 | 57 | 34 | 45.9 | 74 |
Weekly family income | Â | Â | 56 | Â | Â | 75 |
  -Less than $499 | 11 | 19.6 |  | 12 | 16.0 |  |
  -$500-$1000 | 14 | 25.0 |  | 16 | 21.3 |  |
  -More than $1000 | 14 | 25.0 |  | 25 | 33.3 |  |
  -Prefer not to answer | 17 | 30.4 |  | 22 | 29.3 |  |
Current smoker | 3 | 5.3 | 57 | 3 | 4.2 | 72 |
Number of co-morbidities (ever had OR have) | Â | Â | 58 | Â | Â | 75 |
  -0 | 16 | 27.6 |  | 13 | 17.3 |  |
  -1–3 | 33 | 56.9 |  | 50 | 66.7 |  |
  -4 or more | 9 | 15.5 |  | 12 | 16.0 |  |
Types of co-morbiditiesa | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â |
  -Musculoskeletal disorders | 20 | 37.7 | 53 | 28 | 38.4 | 73 |
  -Mental health problems | 15 | 27.8 | 54 | 27 | 36.5 | 74 |
  -Arthritis | 16 | 28.6 | 56 | 34 | 45.9 | 74 |
  -High blood pressure | 18 | 32.1 | 56 | 18 | 24.3 | 74 |
  -High cholesterol | 19 | 33.9 | 56 | 25 | 33.3 | 75 |
  -Chronic headache/migraine | 9 | 16.1 | 56 | 7 | 9.5 | 74 |
  -Lung conditions | 7 | 12.5 | 56 | 13 | 17.6 | 74 |
  -Heart condition | 4 | 7.1 | 56 | 5 | 6.8 | 74 |
  -Stroke | 2 | 3.6 | 56 | 0 | 0 | 74 |
  -Diabetes | 4 | 7.1 | 56 | 2 | 2.7 | 73 |
  -Stomach ulcer | 3 | 5.4 | 56 | 2 | 2.7 | 74 |
Cancer survivor | 43 | 75.4 | 57 | 53 | 70.7 | 75 |
Carer | 9 | 15.8 | 57 | 15 | 20.0 | 75 |
Both cancer survivor and carer | 5 | 8.8 | 57 | 7 | 9.3 | 75 |
Relationship to cancer survivor: | Â | Â | 14 | Â | Â | 19 |
  -Spouse/partner | 11 | 78.6 |  | 12 | 63.2 |  |
  -other relative or friend | 3 | 21.4 |  | 7 | 36.8 |  |
Cancer typea | Â | Â | 48 | Â | Â | 60 |
  -Bowel/colorectal | 5 | 10.4 |  | 3 | 5.0 |  |
  -Breast | 28 | 58.3 |  | 36 | 60.0 |  |
  -Prostate | 7 | 14.6 |  | 7 | 11.7 |  |
  -Melanoma | 3 | 6.3 |  | 4 | 6.7 |  |
  -Other (eg. non-Hodgkins lymphoma, Leukaemia, ovarian, thyroid) | 13 | 27.1 |  | 17 | 28.3 |  |
Time since diagnosis, months, Mean (SD) | 45.2 (52.3) | 47 | 39.3 (56.7) | 57 | ||
Treatment received (EVER)a | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â |
  -Surgery | 45 | 93.8 | 48 | 55 | 93.2 | 59 |
  -Chemotherapy | 28 | 62.2 | 45 | 45 | 84.9 | 53 |
  -Radiotherapy | 30 | 63.8 | 47 | 32 | 68.1 | 47 |
  -Hormone treatment | 20 | 48.8 | 41 | 30 | 66.7 | 45 |
Cancer in remission | 36 | 80.0 | 45 | 44 | 77.2 | 57 |
Number of cancer diagnoses | Â | Â | 48 | Â | Â | 60 |
  -1 | 43 | 89.6 |  | 54 | 90.0 |  |
  -2 | 4 | 8.3 |  | 5 | 8.3 |  |
  -3 or more | 1 | 2.1 |  | 1 | 1.7 |  |