B1.02 - Oral: Relationship Between Health Literacy and Patient-centered Communication Among U.S. Cancer SurvivorsOral:

Brief Abstract Summary: The purpose of this study was to understand self report patient centered communication in a nationally representative sample of cancer survivors.
This study reveals that while PCC and health literacy have a weak positive correlation, significant differences exist across socio-demographic factors such as age, race, education, marital status, and sex. Key findings include higher health literacy in married females, increased literacy with age among college graduates, and varied PCC based on race and educational attainment. Understanding these disparities is critical for improving interventions and enhancing care for cancer survivors. The findings support health programming aimed at reducing cancer incidence and burden by optimizing survivor communication and engagement in care.

Detailed abstract description:

Background:
Patient-centered communication enhances patient engagement and addresses unmet information needs among cancer survivors. Effective PCC requires the active participation in communication activities such as notetaking and question-asking, which can be influenced by factors such as personal health literacy & demographic characteristics. However, there is a limited understanding of how these factors may interact to impact PCC. This study analyzed secondary data from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS; 5 Cycle 2) to examine the relationship between PCC and HL, and explore the relationship with demographic variables in a nationally representative sample of U.S. cancer survivors (n=593).

Methods:
This study utilized data from NCI HINTS (5 Cycle 2). Demographics included age, race, education, marital status, income, and sex. Four items were summed to measure personal HL with four indicating low HL and 16 indicating high HL. Seven items were summed to measure PCC with a score of seven indicating low PCC and 28 indicating high PCC. The relationship between PCC and HL was examined using a Pearson r correlation analysis. A one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was performed to examine each demographic variable on PCC and HL.

Results: The majority of the sample consisted of unmarried (51.4%), Non-Hispanic White (68.5%) females (53.1%) who had an annual income above the federal poverty line (≤ $34,999; 63.3%). There was a weak positive correlation between PCC (ȳ = 22.5, SD = 4.1) and HL (ȳ = 10.9, SD = 2.6) (r = 0.04, p < 0.01). In a one-way MANOVA with HL and PCC as dependent variables, statistically significant differences were found based on age, race, education, marital status, and sex. The effect of age on the combined dependent variables was significant, Wilks’ Lambda = 0.99, p = 0.02. Race also showed a significant effect, Pillai’s Trace = 0.002, p = 0.02, as did education, Wilks’ Lambda = 0.986, p = 0.006. Marital status had a significant impact, Wilks’ Lambda = 0.998, p = 0.02, and sex also yielded significant differences, Pillai’s Trace = 0.002, p = 0.02. The follow-up one-way ANOVA for PCC showed age, race, education, and sex had significant (p < 0.01) between group mean differences. Whereas the follow-up one-way ANOVA for HLshowed age, education, marital status, and sex had significant (p= 0.01) between group mean differences. Follow-up univariate ANOVAs revealed that for HL, significant differences were found based on age, education, marital status, and sex (all ps = 0.01).

Conclusion:
findings from this study highlight the complex relationships between PCC, demographic factors, and health literacy among cancer survivors. Significant differences in both PCC and health literacy were observed across various demographic variables. These results underscore the importance of providing equitable programs and services when addressing communication and literacy needs of cancer survivors.