Abstract C37: Racial and ethnic disparities in comorbidities and behavioral risk factors among prostate cancer survivors, NHIS 2015
Authors: Atere-Roberts Joelle , Hall Ingrid J. , Smith Judith Lee 
Published: February 2019

Background: Despite the growing number of prostate cancer survivors, little is known about the health status and health behaviors of this population. Prostate cancer survivors are at increased risk for recurrence and second primary cancers. Improved health behaviors and health status could lower the risk of recurrence and second primary cancers, as well as provide opportunities for better quality of life and physical health outcomes in survivorship. Furthermore, an understanding of the racial/ethnic differences in health status and behavioral risk factors is necessary to enhance health outcomes and quality of life of diverse survivors.

Purpose: To examine health status, comorbidity status, and health behaviors among prostate cancer survivors and explore any racial/ethnic disparities among these survivors.

Methods: Analysis was conducted using cross-sectional data from the 2015 National Health Interview Survey. Demographic frequencies and percentages were calculated among White, African American, and Hispanic men 50 years of age and older diagnosed with prostate cancer (n=398) with no report of other cancer diagnoses. Self-rated health, comorbidities, and selected health behaviors (physical activity, smoking, and alcohol use) were stratified by race/ethnicity.

Results: The average age of survivors was 73 years (range 50-85 years). Survivors were more likely to be married, college graduates, and be publicly insured. Twenty-five percent of respondents reported a family history of prostate cancer. Sixty percent of survivors reported “good/very good” self-rated health. Overall, 40% of prostate cancer survivors reported no physical activity. Fifty-seven percent of respondents reported being current drinkers, of whom 25% characterized their drinking as heavy/moderate. Forty-nine percent reported being former smokers, although only 6% were current smokers. Thirty-one percent of survivors were obese (BMI ≥ 30) and 20% had 3+ comorbidities. There were no significant differences for physical activity, self-rated health, or obesity by race/ethnicity. More White survivors (29%) were moderate/heavy drinkers compared to African American (11%) and Hispanic (14%) survivors (p=0.04). African Americans (17%) were more likely to be current smokers than White (5%) or Hispanic (6%) survivors (p=0.04). African American (30%) and Hispanic (22%) survivors were more likely to report having 3 or more comorbidities compared to White (18%) survivors (p=0.03).

Conclusions: The overall health status of prostate cancer survivors is suboptimal. Many health behaviors need to be improved in this higher-risk group. There are significant racial/ethnic differences in health behaviors including alcohol use, smoking status, and comorbidity status among prostate cancer survivors. The findings present opportunities to improve health behaviors among prostate cancer survivors. As many prostate cancer survivors are living longer, public health efforts to improve health behaviors are imperative to prevent a recurrence or second cancer diagnosis and improve quality of life. Evidence-based interventions are needed to promote healthy behaviors among prostate cancer survivors.

Citation Format: Joelle Atere-Roberts, Ingrid J. Hall, Judith Lee Smith. Racial and ethnic disparities in comorbidities and behavioral risk factors among prostate cancer survivors, NHIS 2015 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Tenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2017 Sep 25-28; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2018;27(7 Suppl):Abstract nr C37.