Racial Disparities in Cancer and its Health Determinants using US Health Information National Trends Survey “HINTS 5 CYCLE 4”

Abstract

Background: The global burden of cancer is expected to become the main cause of premature death worldwide. This risk of cancer is affected by clinical parameters and non-clinical factors referred to determinants of health. Clinical parameters were exhaustively examined with cancer. However, determinants of health which embody social, economic, behavioral, and biologic factors were marginally investigated with cancer. An important factor that was shown to be associated with cancer is race. Racial disparity was also denoted with some factors of the determinants of health. Nonetheless, several important factors under the determinants of health were neither considered with cancer nor with race. In addition, there is a lack of studies that considered examining cancer, race, and determinants of health all together with the objective of determining how they interrelate and affect one another. Thus, in this study we aim to fill in this gap in knowledge to produce holistic information that bridge between these three components.

Methods: We carried out secondary data analysis using the Health Information National Trend Survey “HINTS 5 cycle 4”, a cross-sectional study conducted by the National Cancer Institute in the US. HINTS collected representative data at the national level regularly about the Americans’ information and attitude related to cancer. Our sample comprised of 3,865 participants who completed the survey that were collected from all over the US in year 2020 which represents the most recent HINTS data. Data management and recoding were conducted on all the variables. Weighted crude and adjusted analysis (Chi-squared, logistic, and ordinal analyses) were performed to account for the probability of selection from the various strata.

Results: Results showed that seeking information, and worrying a lot about getting cancer were linked to higher odds of cancer. Hispanic and Other races than White or Black were correlated to lesser odds of the disease. There were significant racial disparities among some determinants of health especially in trusting information about cancer from various resources. While most races exhibit fatalistic beliefs about cancer, they also consider it preventable and express willingness to modify lifestyles. Concerning patient-healthcare provider communication, Black and White races report more satisfactory experiences compared to Hispanic and Other races. Nevertheless, there's a common opinion that insufficient time was allocated with healthcare providers. Satisfaction with the quality of care predominantly exists among White and Black races, less so among Hispanics and Other races.

Conclusion: The results highlighted the racial disparity in cancer and determinants of health so that corrective measures can be undertaken in order to address inequity among races.