Comfort With Sharing Food Insecurity Risk for Clinical Care Among Individuals With and Without a Cancer History:...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Public Health
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Food insecurity significantly impacts cancer survivor outcomes, including treatment adherence and quality of life.
• Limited data exists on cancer survivors' willingness to disclose food insecurity in clinical settings nationally.
• Understanding comfort levels is crucial for implementing effective support strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess comfort levels in sharing food insecurity risk among cancer survivors and non-survivors.
• To identify factors associated with comfort in discussing food insecurity for clinical care.
• To inform the development of patient-centered screening protocols.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the National Cancer Institute's Health Information National Trends Survey 6 (2022).
• Analyzed a weighted sample of nearly 188 million participants, including cancer survivors.
• Employed multivariable logistic regression to identify predictors of comfort in sharing food insecurity risk.

Main Results:

• A majority of cancer survivors (64.9%) and non-survivors (58.7%) reported comfort discussing food insecurity.
• Patient-centered communication was positively associated with comfort in sharing risk (OR=1.52).
• Cancer survivors and individuals experiencing food insecurity showed similar comfort levels compared to their counterparts.

Conclusions:

• Screening for food insecurity risk appears acceptable for cancer survivors.
• Patient-centered communication strategies may facilitate participation in food insecurity screening.
• Further research is needed on specific patient preferences for data sharing in clinical care.