The Balance between Food and Medical Care: Experiences of Food Insecurity among Cancer Survivors and Informal Caregivers

ABSTRACT

Defined as an inability to acquire enough food because of insufficient money or other resources, the prevalence of food insecurity is markedly higher among cancer survivors than the general population. The objective of this qualitative study was to understand and characterize the experience of food insecurity from the perspective of cancer survivors’ and their informal caregivers using qualitative interviews. Barriers to healthy eating, behaviors and strategies in times of food shortage, and unmet educational needs shaped the experience of food insecurity. These experiences and insights for addressing food insecurity in oncology practice have broad implications for future interventions.

KEYWORDS:

• Food insecurity
• breast cancer
• colorectal cancer
• prostate cancer
• disparities

Acknowledgments

We sincerely thank Jessica Anderson and Anita Osborn for their assistance with data collection and administrative support of the Comprehensive History of Individual Cancer Experiences Project.

Disclosure Statement

In accordance with Taylor & Francis policy and my ethical obligation as a researcher, I am reporting that I have no competing interests to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center Support Grant under Grant [NCI P30CA118100] and the American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant under Grant [HSC-21094]. This research used the facilities or services of the Behavioral Measurement and Population Sciences Shared Resource, a facility supported by the State of New Mexico and the University of New Mexico Cancer Center (P30CA118100).