ASPO Abstracts
Patient-provider discussions about alcohol use comparing cancer survivors and non-cancer controls: findings from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health
Category: Behavioral Science & Health Communication
Conference Year: 2023
Abstract Body:
Background: Alcohol use increases cancer risk. The American Cancer Society recommends abstaining from alcohol for cancer prevention but advises those who do choose to drink should limit their intake to 1 drink a day/2 drinks a day for women/men. Healthcare providers are uniquely positioned to deliver this message to patients. However, it is unclear to what extent healthcare providers screen for and discuss alcohol use with cancer survivors. Methods: We examined the frequency and content of alcohol screening and patient-provider discussions about alcohol use comparing cancer survivors and non-cancer controls in the 2015-2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. We used multivariable Poisson regression with robust variance and complex survey procedures to estimate prevalence ratios adjusted for age, sex, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation identity, socioeconomic status, alcohol use, and health insurance status. Results: Cancer survivors had 1.06 [95% CI: 1.03-1.08] times the prevalence of alcohol screening, either in person or on a form, in a healthcare setting compared with non-cancer controls. Cancer survivors had 1.07 [95% CI: 1.03-1.10] times the prevalence of having an in-person discussion about alcohol use with a healthcare provider compared with non-cancer controls. Among those who had an in-person alcohol discussion, cancer survivors had 1.05 [95% CI: 1.02-1.08] times the prevalence of being asked how much they drink compared with non-cancer controls. No significant differences between cancer survivors and non- cancer controls were found for 1) being asked about frequency of drinking, 2) being asked about drinking problems, or 3) being advised to cut down on drinking. Among cancer survivors who reported usually consuming 3+ drinks per day in the past 30 days, only 15% [95% CI: 10.8-20.5] reported that a healthcare provider advised them to cut down on their drinking. Conclusions: Cancer survivors are more likely to be screened for and have in-person discussions with healthcare providers about alcohol use compared with those never diagnosed with cancer. Conversation content, however, is limited. Cancer survivors with higher alcohol use are not receiving important messages about reducing their alcohol use for cancer prevention.
Keywords: 1. alcohol discussions 2. cancer survivorship 3. epidemiology 4. National Survey on Drug Use and Health 5. patient-provider communication