Associations of Demographic and Social Factors on Health-Related Quality-of-Life Changes Among Older Women With Breast or Gynecologic Cancer.

Publisher: Oncology Nursing Society Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 7809033 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1538-0688 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 0190535X NLM ISO Abbreviation: Oncol Nurs Forum Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: Pittsburgh, PA : Oncology Nursing Society
Original Publication: New York, Oncology Nursing Society.

Social Factors* ; Genital Neoplasms, Female*; United States ; Humans ; Aged ; Female ; Medicare ; Quality of Life ; Ethnicity

Objectives: To examine associations of sociodemographic factors and social limitations with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) from pre- to postdiagnosis in older female cancer survivors.
Sample & Setting: 9,807 women aged 65 years or older with breast or gynecologic cancer from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare Health Outcomes Survey.
Methods & Variables: Physical and mental HRQOL were assessed using the physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) of the Veterans RAND 12-Item Health Survey. Descriptive statistics and mixed-effects models for repeated measures were used.
Results: Social limitations were the only significant factor associated with changes in MCS scores. Race and ethnicity, rurality, and social interference were associated with significant decreases in PCS scores.
Implications for Nursing: Nurses can assess mental and physical HRQOL after diagnosis and advocate for appropriate referrals. Oncology care should be tailored to cultural considerations, including race and ethnicity, rurality, and social support.

Keywords: breast cancer; gynecologic cancer; health-related quality of life; older adults

Date Created: 20240305 Date Completed: 20240307 Latest Revision: 20240307

20240307

10.1188/24.ONF.127-141

38442282