Abstract PO-081: The relationship between socioeconomic status and nutritional intake in older female cancer survivors

Background: As older adults (65+) are the age cohort most likely to be diagnosed with cancer and women tend to live longer than men, many cancer survivors are older females. However, older female survivors are an understudied group. Lifestyle behaviors such as maintaining a healthy diet have been shown to promote disease- free survivorship and improve health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Moreover, socioeconomic factors (e.g. income, education) have been shown to influence survivors’ lifestyle behaviors and long-term health outcome. However, socioeconomic factors that influence the diet quality of older female survivors have been greatly understudied in this population. This study sought to examine the influence of socioeconomic factors on the nutritional intake of older female survivors, while also investigating disparities in HRQoL and self-rated health.

Methods: Older women, with all cancer types and stages, who completed primary cancer treatment (i.e., chemotherapy, surgery, radiation) within the past five years, were eligible to participate. Older female survivors completed one-time surveys to assess HRQoL (RAND-36), body mass index (BMI), diet quality (Diet History Questionnaire II), and self-rated health. Demographic information and medical record data were also collected. Diet History Questionnaire II results were converted to 2015-2020 Healthy Eating Index (HEI) scores. Descriptive analyses, correlations, and stepwise linear regressions were utilized. Results: Participants (n=171) were, on average, 72.72 ±7.40 years old, and the majority were white (90.0%), had a household income between $20,000 and $100,000 (53.8%), completed at least a bachelor’s degree (54.7%), and were breast cancer survivors (68.0%). Mean BMI was 27.71±6.20 (overweight) with 63.7% of the participants being overweight or obese. Participant’s average physical and mental HRQoL composite scores were 41.94±10.50 and 48.47±7.18, respectively, out of 100. The mean HEI-2015 score of participants was 66.54±10.01, out of 100. Having higher educational attainment (β=0.417, p=0.032) and greater physical HRQoL (β=0.430, p=0.028) was associated with higher HEI scores. Having higher educational attainment (β=0.574, p=0.004) was also associated with higher mental HRQoL, and higher physical HRQoL (β=0.679, p<0.001) was associated with better self-rated health. Conclusions: Older female cancer survivors were found to have poor diet quality and high rates of being overweight or obese. Nutritional intake and HRQoL were found to be interrelated and associated with educational attainment. Results indicate the need for nutritional screening and consulting during cancer survivorship. Tailored lifestyle interventions, considering socioeconomic status, may improve the diet quality of older female survivors and help prevent chronic disease, mitigate treatment effects, and improve HRQoL in this underserved population.

Citation Format: Christian Stephens, Jill Clutter, Jessica Krok-Schoen. The relationship between socioeconomic status and nutritional intake in older female cancer survivors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Conference: Thirteenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2020 Oct 2-4. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(12 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-081.