Abstract A86: Sociodemographic correlates of cancer survivors in the United States

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: Approximately 40% of the more than 1 million Americans diagnosed with cancer each year are working-age adults, likewise more than 11 million people in the U.S. are cancer survivors. Given almost 50% of cancer survivors are under 65 years of age, a large proportion of them return to work after treatment or even maintain regular work schedules during their cancer treatment. We described the socio-demographic characteristics and risky health behaviors of U.S. adults diagnosed with cancer by the five most commonly diagnosed cancer types. Methods: Data pooled from the 1997-2009 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) on adults 18 years of age and older with self-reported physician diagnosed cancer (n=27,906) were analyzed. Estimates on self-reported socio-demographic characteristics (age, gender, race, ethnicity, education, employment status, and job type) general health status, and negative health behaviors (risky alcohol drinking [men who consume ≥ 2 drinks and women who consume ≥1 drink per day] and cigarette use [current, former, never]) were stratified by specific-cancer type (non-melanoma skin cancer, lung cancer, colorectal, prostate, and breast) and employment status. Results: Thirty-three percent of adults diagnosed with cancer work post-diagnosis. Among employed cancer survivors, 69.3% were employed in white collar jobs while 14.7% were in service jobs. This distribution differed among employed persons without a cancer diagnosis, with 58.5% employed in white collar jobs and 23.4% in service jobs. Among employed persons with cancer, 65.9% were 35-54 years old, while 15.6% were greater than 55 years. Breast and non-melanoma skin cancer rates were highest among those who returned to work. The percentage of cancer workers reporting fair-poor health was greater than workers without cancer. Lastly, workers with cancer reported lower risky drinking (7.8%) and cigarette use (4.7%) compared to workers without cancer (14.5% and 11.4%, respectively). Conclusion: A large occupational health disparity exists among persons returning to work following a cancer diagnosis. Among all worker types, we found service workers were less likely (as compared to white collar workers) to be currently employed suggesting the need for integrating vocational rehabilitation programs and treatments services tailored to their workplace organization. In addition, the changing gender distribution in the U.S. workforce reflects our study findings that twice as many females as males continued to work following cancer diagnosis. The new U.S. healthcare reform bill that supports workplace health promotion programs may assist employers in developing the aforementioned reintegration programs and thwart the burgeoning occupational health disparities among working cancer survivors. Citation Information: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2010;19(10 Suppl):A86.