Food insecurity linked to elevated mortality risk among cancer survivors
A new study from the Perelman School of Medicine shows that cancer survivors experiencing food insecurity had a 28 percent relative increase in risk of death versus those who were food secure.
1 min. read
Lack of access to healthy food is a threat to the lives of cancer survivors—a significant and often overlooked factor affecting their long-term health outcomes. In a new study from the Perelman School of Medicine and recently published recently in JAMA Health Forum, researchers analyzed data from more than 5,000 respondents who shared their cancer diagnoses as part of a nationwide, government-sponsored health survey.
The researchers found that survivors experiencing food insecurity faced a 28 percent higher risk of death compared to respondents who were food secure.
“Food matters in cancer care and outcomes,” said study senior author Jaya Aysola, associate professor of medicine and executive director of the Centers for Health Equity Advancement at Penn Medicine. “The results show that simple, integrated solutions can help prolong the lives of cancer survivors by helping put healthy food on their table.”
Food insecurity, estimated to affect about 40 million people in the U.S. alone, is the condition in which good nutrition is of limited or uncertain availability. It is considered a significant socioeconomic factor in overall health and has been linked to higher risks of chronic diseases including heart disease, diabetes, some mental health disorders, hypertension, kidney disease, and colorectal cancer.
Using data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2011 and 2012 National Health Interview Surveys (NHIS), as well as the U.S. National Death Index through 2019, the researchers’ analysis covered a total of 5,603 adults aged 40 and older who reported having had a cancer diagnosis on the NHIS and answered its questions relating to food security.
A total of 579 (10.3 percent) of the respondents reported food insecurity. This group had higher all-cause risk of death through 2019 compared to cancer survivors who did not report food insecurity. After adjustment for potentially relevant differences between respondents, such as sex, age, smoking status, and the presence of other illnesses, there remained a significant mortality gap between the groups—the food-insecure group having an estimated 28 percent increased risk of all-cause mortality.
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