ASPO Abstracts
Disparities in Food Insecurity among Cancer Survivors during the U.S. COVID-19 Pandemic
Category: COVID-19 and Cancer
Conference Year: 2021
Abstract Body:
Purpose: The purpose of the study is to (1) compare the prevalence of COVID-19 associated food insecurity
among cancer survivors to adults without a history of cancer and (2) examine social and demographic
characteristics associated with COVID-19 related food insecurity.
Methods: Data for these analyses were obtained from the publicly available COVID-19 Household Impact Survey,
conducted by NORC. Data from Week 1 (April 20-26, 2020), Week 2 (May 4-10, 2020), and Week 3 (May 30th -
June 8th, 2020) are available, which were merged for this analysis. Our primary exposure was cancer survivor
status based on participant's self-report of a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime. Primary outcomes of food insecurity
were categorized on how often (response options – often true, sometimes true, never true) participants reported
the following: "We worried our food would run out before we got money to buy more†or "The food that we bought
just didn't last, and we didn't have money to get moreâ€. We also examined whether participants reported receiving
or applying for food pantry assistance or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits during the pandemic
period. Chi-square tests were used to compare reported food insecurity items among cancer survivors compared
to general U.S. adult population. Multinomial logistic regression was used to compare frequency of food insecurity
among cancer survivors to adults without cancer after adjustment for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education,
household income, and area of residence (urban/rural).
Results: Twenty-six percent of participants reported often or sometimes worrying about food running out and 20%
of participants reported food not lasting and not having money to get more; the prevalence did not significantly
differ by cancer history. Adults without a history of cancer were significantly more likely to report trying to apply for
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (2.4% versus 0.8%, p = 0.32) while cancer survivors were significantly
more likely to report receipt of other forms of assistance (3.8% versus 2.2%, p = 0.018).
Conclusions: COVID-19 associated food insecurity is common. Expansion of policies and community interventions
may help mitigate disparities in food security among US adults.
Keywords: COVID-19, cancer, food insecurity