Abstract A82: Cancer Diagnosis and the Effect of Joint Family in Rural India

With cancer being an ever prevalent problem in modern society, there have been a large number of cancer related studies mainly dedicated to the medical effects and remedies. However, studies that relate demographics and living pattern to cancer sparsely exist, but are mostly on human behaviors. Social behavior, such as drinking, as well as those relating to family types also holds importance in the effectiveness of medical treatments on cancer. Studies on the effects of these behaviors, however, are completely ignore. This is especially true when considering whether the person lives in a nuclear or joint family. As such, this study seeks to add to the limited amount of literature linking family living type to cancer diagnosis. Henceforth, the objective of this research is to estimate the effect of joint family on cancer diagnosis. Using a logit estimation model, the paper estimates how family living type and daily behaviors affect the risk of cancer diagnosis. This study employed a total of 251 surveyed data obtained from Karnataka Lingiat Educational (KLE) Society University at Handiganur village, located in the South Western state of Karnataka in India. The estimated result showed that a person living in a joint family would lower its log-odds of being detected of a cancer by 1.293 units against living in nuclear family. Further, the estimated marginal effect found that a 1% change in joint family will reduce the likelihood of being diagnosed with cancer by 7.24%. Among the other behavioral variables studies, the study also found that public well for water supply will increase the likelihood of being diagnosed with cancer by 0.933 units. Similarly, a person who drinks alcohol regularly increases their likelihood of risk of being diagnosed with cancer by 1.260 units. Two possible reasons for the results are that because there are biological and behavioral implications of living in a joint family that can help mitigate the chances of developing cancer-such as healthier living habits supported by family members, and that ceteris paribus, a joint family will have less income per person in the household meaning that hospital visits happen less frequently. Hence, the finding of this study should have a huge implication in developed countries where nuclear family syndrome dominates. A future study with a field based experimental data that has treatment and controlled group with a large sample size is recommended.

Citation Format: Sushant Koirala. Cancer Diagnosis and the Effect of Joint Family in Rural India. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Ninth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2016 Sep 25-28; Fort Lauderdale, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2017;26(2 Suppl):Abstract nr A82.