TY - JOUR
T1 - Is cancer history associated with assets, debt, and net worth in the United States?
AU - Doroudi, Maryam
AU - Coughlan, Diarmuid
AU - Banegas, Matthew P.
AU - Han, Xuesong
AU - Robin Yabroff, K.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2018.
PY - 2018/4/1
Y1 - 2018/4/1
N2 - Background: Financial 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. Methods: Using 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. Results: Among 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). Conclusions: Cancer 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.
AB - Background: Financial 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. Methods: Using 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. Results: Among 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). Conclusions: Cancer 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.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85079079996&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/jncics/pky004
DO - 10.1093/jncics/pky004
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85079079996
SN - 2515-5091
VL - 2
JO - JNCI Cancer Spectrum
JF - JNCI Cancer Spectrum
IS - 2
M1 - pky004
ER -