Abstract A090: Association between breast cancer screening adherence and food insecurity in women with low income from California
Authors: Bergheimer Charlotte L. , Fejerman Laura 
Published: December 2023

Background: Food insecurity has been associated with delayed breast cancer screening among low-income individuals and communities in the United States (US). However, it is unclear if this association is due to poverty and related factors more generally (e.g., education, access to health care) or food insecurity specifically. Hence, we tested the association of food insecurity with being up-to-date with breast cancer screening recommendations in women with low-income from California. Methods: Individual-level information on breast cancer screening and food security status from females ages 50-74 years with an annual household income below 200% of the federal poverty level (FPL) was obtained from 2015-2016 California Health Interview Survey publicly available data. Bivariate and multivariate weighted logistic regression models were employed to test the association between breast cancer screening adherence and food insecurity, factoring in sociodemographic covariates including age, race/ethnicity, English use and proficiency, poverty level (dichotomized as 0-99% vs. 100-199% FPL), educational attainment, marital status, health insurance status, usual source of care, working status, and rurality. Results: The total sample included 3598 women with low-income from California, the majority of whom reported to be ages 50-59 years old (46.6%), Hispanic (50.5%), have health insurance (89.0%) and a usual source of health care (84.5%), live in an urban area (91.6%), and identify as food secure (51.1%). Most women reported being up-to-date with breast cancer screening (78.3%), of which 52.8% had food security and 47.2% experienced food insecurity. In comparison, among women not up-to-date with screening (21.7%), only 44.9% had food security while a majority of 55.1% experienced food insecurity. In the multivariable model, food insecurity was associated with lower odds of being up-to-date with breast cancer screening (odds ratio [OR]: 0.69; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.44–1.07) at a suggestive level of statistical significance. This observed difference may be explained by the correlation between food insecurity and other important factors known to be associated with screening behavior, including history of cancer and other socioeconomic metrics such as income amount, financial security, and housing instability. Conclusions: Food insecurity was inversely associated with being up-to-date with breast cancer screening. There is an imperative need to address breast cancer screening among low-income women in California, especially those who experience food insecurity. Impact: Future studies should combine food insecurity and breast cancer screening interventions to improve screening rates.

Citation Format: Charlotte L. Bergheimer, Laura Fejerman. Association between breast cancer screening adherence and food insecurity in women with low income from California [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 16th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2023 Sep 29-Oct 2;Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2023;32(12 Suppl):Abstract nr A090.