Financial assistance and other financial coping strategies after a pediatric cancer diagnosis.

Autor: Lin JJ; Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, California, USA., Evans EM; Department of Pediatrics, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals, San Francisco, California, USA., Praxedes K; Department of Pediatrics, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals, San Francisco, California, USA., Agrawal AK; Department of Pediatrics, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals, San Francisco, California, USA.; UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, California, USA., Winestone LE; Department of Pediatrics, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals, San Francisco, California, USA.; UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, California, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Pediatric blood & cancer [Pediatr Blood Cancer] 2024 Apr; Vol. 71 (4), pp. e30890. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Feb 01.
DOI: 10.1002/pbc.30890
Abstrakt: Background: Families experience financial burden and household material hardship (HMH) after a pediatric cancer diagnosis. This study investigates types of financial assistance and other financial coping strategies (FCS) adopted by families during the first year after diagnosis.
Methods: Retrospective survey of caregivers of pediatric patients diagnosed with cancer from 2015 to 2019. The survey collected data on demographics, diagnosis, income, HMH, and private, hospital, and government assistance received and other FCS adopted after diagnosis. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regressions were used to analyze FCS by income. Subgroup analysis of families experiencing HMH was used to identify predictors of receiving government assistance.
Results: Of 156 respondents, 52% were low-to-middle income, 29% had public insurance, and 22% had non-English language preference. Low-to-middle-income families were more likely to incur debt (odds ratio [OR] 6.24, p < .001) and reduce consumption (OR 2.16, p = .03) than high-income families, and this association persisted in multivariable analysis. Among families with housing, food, and energy insecurity, 40%, 70%, and 39%, respectively, received hospital or government assistance specific to the experienced hardship. In subgroup analysis of families with HMH, after adjusting for income and other confounders, non-English language preference was associated with lower odds of receiving government assistance.
Conclusions: After a pediatric cancer diagnosis, low-to-middle-income families are more likely to incur debt than high-income families. Most families experiencing food insecurity received some food assistance, while housing and energy assistance were less common. Future studies should investigate methods to equitably improve access to financial assistance and minimize long-term financial consequences.
(© 2024 The Authors. Pediatric Blood & Cancer published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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