Is Cancer History Associated With Assets, Debt, and Net Worth in the United States?

JNCI Cancer Spectrum

Doroudi, Maryam¹  Robin Yabroff, K²  Coughlan, Diarmuid³  Han, Xuesong⁴  Banegas, Matthew P⁵ 

[1] Early Detection Branch, Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD;Office of Health Policy, US Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC;Surveillance Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD;Surveillance and Health Services Research Program, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA;The Center for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente, Portland, OR

关键词: cancer;    ownership;    debt;    self-report;    adult;    survivors;   

DOI  :  10.1093/jncics/pky004

学科分类：肿瘤学

来源: Oxford University Press

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundFinancial hardships experienced by cancer survivors have become a prominent public health issue in the United States. Few studies of financial hardship have assessed financial holdings, including assets, debts, and their values, associated with a cancer history.MethodsUsing the 2008–2011 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, we identified 1603 cancer survivors and 34 915 individuals age 18–64 years without a cancer history to assess associations between self-reported cancer history and assets, debts, and net worth. Distributions of self-reported asset and debt ownership, their values, and net worth were compared for adults with and without a cancer history with chi-square statistics. Multivariable ordered probit regression analysis was conducted to assess the association between cancer history and net worth using a two-sided Wald test. All analyses were stratified by age group (18–34, 35–44, 45–54, and 55–64 years). Statistical tests were two-sided.ResultsAmong those age 45–54 years, cancer survivors had a lower proportion of home ownership than individuals without a cancer history (59.0% vs 67.1%, P = .0014) and were statistically significantly more likely to have negative net worth (≤–$3000) and less likely to have positive net worth (≥$3000). Cancer survivors were more likely to have debt than individuals without a cancer history, especially among those age 18–34 years (41.3% vs 27.1%, P < .001).ConclusionsCancer history is associated with lower asset ownership, more debt, and lower net worth, especially in survivors age 45–54 years. Longitudinal studies of financial holdings will be important to inform development of interventions to reduce financial hardship.

【 授权许可】

CC BY-NC-ND