Almost one-third of families of children with cancer have unmet basic needs during treatment

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-09/dci-a1o092115.php

Public Release: 23-Sep-2015
Almost one-third of families of children with cancer have unmet basic needs during treatment
Study may underestimate extent of hardship
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Almost one-third of families whose children were being treated for cancer faced food, housing or energy insecurity and one-quarter lost more than 40 percent of household income, according to a new study from Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. The study follows emerging research in pediatric oncology finding that low-income status predicts poor adherence to oral chemotherapy and decreased overall survival.

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"What it says is that even at a well-resourced, large referral center, about a third of families are reporting food, housing or energy insecurity six months into treatment," says lead author Kira Bona, MD, MPH, a pediatric oncologist at Dana-Farber/Boston Children's. "If anything, the numbers in our study are an underestimate of what might be seen at less well-resourced institutions, which was somewhat surprising to us."

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Researchers defined low-income as 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Other findings include:

At diagnosis, 20 percent of families were low-income; six months later an additional 12 percent suffered income losses that pushed their income below 200 percent of the federal poverty level.

By six months after diagnosis, most (56 percent) of adults who supported their families experienced a disruption of their work. This included 15 percent of parents who either quit their jobs or were laid off as a result of their child's illness. An additional 37 percent cut their hours or took leaves of absence. Only a third (34 percent) were paid during their leave.

At six months after diagnosis, 29 percent of families reported at least one material hardship - up from the 20 percent who reported material hardship at the time of diagnosis. Six months after their child's diagnosis, 20 percent of families reported food insecurity, 17 percent reported energy insecurity, and 8 percent reported housing insecurity.

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