LOS ANGELES, Nov. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- The Wellness Community(R) (TWC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free support and education for people affected by cancer, in collaboration with the University of California at San Francisco and Stanford University, is conducting a study comparing face-to-face support groups with online support groups delivered via the Internet in Southern California and Phoenix, AZ. TWC is currently seeking women diagnosed with breast cancer within the last 24 months to participate in this randomized study. TWC believes that support groups help individuals with cancer to improve the quality of their lives. With this study, TWC hopes to show that Internet-based support groups and face-to-face support groups help women with breast cancer improve their quality of life and may actually help them fight the disease.
This study is free to all participants and offers hope to women with breast cancer. Support groups via the Internet can be a tremendous help to thousands of people who, for a variety of reasons, are not able to attend in- person groups. The Internet is a powerful resource and has grown more important over the last few years. A recent report by Pew Charitable Trusts found that 52 million people (or 55 percent of those with Internet access) went online to find health-related information. Almost 5 million of those participated in health-related online support groups, most of them as bulletin boards and emails.
Past research has shown that cancer patients who have information about their disease and a supportive place to talk about their thoughts and feelings have a better quality of life; suffer fewer psychological symptoms; improve their coping skills; and, experience less pain.
The study will last for five months. Participating women will be divided into two groups: 1) in professionally-led, face-to-face support groups; and, 2) in professionally-led online support groups. Study participants will be able to participate in other Wellness Community activities, except for support groups. TWC offers a variety of beneficial programs including a range of mind/body activities such as visualization, yoga, tai chi, as well as physician lectures, discussion groups, and nutrition workshops. Women in the study will complete assessment questionnaires at the beginning, middle, and end of the study to evaluate the effectiveness of the programs on their quality of life.
Participation in the study is free to all women who meet the eligibility requirements. The qualifying diagnosis is stage 0, 1, 2, or 3 breast cancer. The women may be currently receiving chemotherapy, radiation therapy and/or hormone therapy. The cancer must be without recurrence or metastasis prior to the start of the group.
The study will take place at The Wellness Community centers in West Los Angeles, Redondo Beach, Pasadena, Westlake Village, Orange County, and Phoenix, AZ.
For additional information, visit http://www.twc-chat.org/ or call Kristin McMahon, MPH, at The Wellness Community (310) 314-2566 or email her at kristin@thewellnesscommunity.org.
About The Wellness Community
The Wellness Community is an international non-profit organization dedicated to providing free support, education, and hope to people affected by cancer. Through participation in professionally-led support groups, educational workshops, nutrition, exercise programs, and mind/body classes, people affected by cancer learn vital skills that enable them to regain control, reduce isolation, and restore hope regardless of the stage of their disease. Today, there are 22 Wellness Communities around the United States, 28 satellite centers, two abroad in Tel Aviv and Tokyo, five in development and online at The Virtual Wellness Community. For more information, visit http://www.thewellnesscommunity.org/.
The Wellness Community
CONTACT: Kristin McMahon, Project Coordinator of The Wellness Community,+1-310-314-2566, or kristin@thewellnesscommunity.org