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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Patricia A. Findley, DrPH, MSW, School of Social Work, Rutgers,The State University of New Jersey, 536 George Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, Wenhui Wei, PhD, Department of Veterans Affairs, NJ Health Care System, Center for Healthcare Knowledge Management, 385 Tremont Avenue, East Orange, NJ 07018, and Usha Sambamoorthi, PhD, Center for Healthcare Knowledge Management, Department of Veterans Affairs, NJ Health Care System, 385 Tremont avenue, East Orange, NJ 07018, 973-676-1000 x1512, ushasambamoorthi@gmail.com.

Objective: Estimate the rates of health promotion activities (HPAs) and variations in these rates among cancer survivors. Design: Longitudinal analyses were conducted on the Medical Expenditures Panel Survey 2000-2003 data, a nationally representative household survey. Cancer survivors were defined as those diagnosed with cancer in the baseline year and alive in the subsequent year; HPAs were examined in the subsequent year. HPAs consisted of blood pressure (BP) screening, influenza immunization, physical and dental check-ups within the last year, moderate/vigorous exercise 3 times a week, not smoking, and having body mass index within the normal range. Chi-square tests and ordered logistic regression were used to examine the level of HPAs categorized as high (6-7), moderate (4-5) and low (<4). All analyses were conducted in SAS-callable SUDAAN to account for complex sample design. Sample: 1,356 cancer survivors aged over 21. Findings: Overall, 27% engaged in high-level of HPAs, 53% in moderate level; the median number of HPAs was 4. The rates of individual HPAs varied from 96% for BP screening to 52% for regular exercise. Among subgroups, African Americans, those without health insurance, and low income were less likely to have higher level of HPAs. Conclusion: Although a majority of cancer survivors engaged in moderate levels of HPAs, significant socioeconomic barriers to health promotion care appear to exist. Implications for Policy, Delivery or Practice: Targeted interventions should be designed to heighten the awareness among survivors and health care professionals of the need to address overall health promotion activities in this population.

Learning Objectives:

The learner will (
• describe the types of preventive care cancer survivors may receive and (
• understand some of the factors that contribute to preventive care use within this population.

Keywords: Cancer, Health Promotion

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered