Objective: We aimed to characterize the socioeconomic impact of glioma for patients with clinical and radiographic evidence of disease stability, using the standardized Medical Expenditure Panel Survey-Household Component (MEPS-HC).
Methods: The MEPS-HC questionnaire was used to investigate the degree of economic hardship referable to the patient's brain tumor and treatment. The questionnaire included demographic variables such as age at diagnosis, ethnicity, highest level of education, and annual household income. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize variables and between-group comparisons were evaluated using Fisher exact test.
Results: Of 127 prescreened patients, 89 of 107 eligible patients completed the survey. Pathology at diagnosis was predominantly low grade (60%). Most patients were insured at time of diagnosis (91%), married (76%), and employed (79%), with annual household incomes slightly higher than the national average. Despite this, nearly a quarter incurred debt referable to brain tumor care (24%), 53% required extended unpaid time off, and 46% retired or were no longer working. Financial burden and workforce morbidity were insensitive to tumor location, laterality, and annual household income. Patients with gross total resection at initial surgery were less likely to report ongoing limitations in daily activities (45% vs 83%, = 0.004).
Conclusions: Even in a population of stable, high-functioning glioma survivors, financial burden and workforce morbidity was ubiquitous across all tumor subtypes, treatment paradigms, and income levels.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000010263 | DOI Listing |
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305.
Affordable and clean energy, eliminating poverty, and reducing inequality are important goals of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This paper examines the role of access to clean cooking fuels in promoting income growth and reducing income inequality. Using data from Chinese households, we show that a 10% increase in the adoption of clean cooking fuels would result in an increase in total annual household income of US$37 billion nationwide.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Adv
January 2025
Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA.
Climate change threatens smallholder agriculture and food security in the Global South. While cropland expansion is often used to counter adverse climate effects despite ecological trade-offs, the benefits for diets and nutrition remain unclear. This study quantitatively examines relationships between climate anomalies, forest loss from cropland expansion, and dietary outcomes in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfluenza Other Respir Viruses
January 2025
Influenza Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Background: Seasonal influenza illness and acute respiratory infections can impose a substantial economic burden in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We assessed the cost of influenza illness and acute respiratory infections across household income strata.
Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of data from a prior systematic review of costs of influenza and other respiratory illnesses in LMICs and contacted authors to obtain data on cost of illness (COI) for laboratory-confirmed influenza-like illness and acute respiratory infection.
Psychooncology
January 2025
Department of Nursing, Shanghai Proton and Heavy Ion Center, Fudan University Cancer Hospital, Shanghai, China.
Objective: Influenced by their life stage and socio-cultural background, young and middle-aged cancer patients in China may experience unique psychological distress. Therefore, this study investigated the severity, problems, and associated factors of psychological distress among young and middle-aged cancer patients.
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study on young and middle-aged cancer patients aged 18-59 who were treated at a radiotherapy center from February 2022 to September 2023.
JCO Oncol Pract
January 2025
Division of Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA.
Purpose: Food insecurity is prevalent among patients with cancer. Gaps in our understanding of preferences for food assistance among Latino or Hispanic, immigrant, and people with multiple races and ethnicities limit uptake of food assistance interventions among these populations. We aimed to deeply understand the needs and preferences and barriers to food assistance intervention uptake among low-income, predominantly Latino or Hispanic, immigrant, and people with multiple races and ethnicities and cancer to inform development of tailored interventions.
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