The impact of cancer diagnosis on employment: is there a difference between rural and urban populations?

Sowden, Michelle; Vacek, Pamela M.; Geller, Berta M.

doi:10.1007/s11764-013-0317-3

Cited by 11 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Participants identified a lack of local services, a need for travel to treatment and a disjuncture between treatment centres posing significant challenges for regional and remote cancer survivors when attempting to remain at/return to work, consistent with review findings indicating that travel to treatment causes practical and financial difficulty for rural survivors 27 . Some support was found for the hypothesis that this disparity may in part be due to higher proportions of regional/rural employment involving manual labour 19 . Further barriers included the lack of any available work and difficulty of employers in holding positions open for cancer survivors to return to.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 59%

“…A European study found cancer survivors from lower socio‐economic groups were less likely to return to work and took longer to return or to regain employment than survivors from groups experiencing less socio‐economic disadvantage, despite routine offering of occupational rehabilitation to cancer survivors 20 . Authors of these studies argue the employment needs of rural cancer survivors and those living with socio‐economic disadvantage are distinct from the needs of other cancer survivors, due to the nature of occupations prevalent in these groups 19,20 . This is consistent with findings indicating that the employment gap for cancer survivors is larger for those employed in agriculture, forestry, fishery, transport, manufacturing and services, compared with those in sciences, humanities, administrative, managerial or clerical work 21 .…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 62%

“…Survivors living in rural and socio‐economically disadvantaged communities may face additional challenges related to employment, compounded by the work demands of available occupations and by socio‐economic factors. A study in the United States found rural cancer survivors were less likely to return to work than metropolitan‐ or urban‐dwelling survivors, with rural survivors 66% more likely to retire early compared to urban survivors of similar age, education and cancer stage 19 . A European study found cancer survivors from lower socio‐economic groups were less likely to return to work and took longer to return or to regain employment than survivors from groups experiencing less socio‐economic disadvantage, despite routine offering of occupational rehabilitation to cancer survivors 20 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Barriers to employment of Australian cancer survivors living with geographic or socio‐economic disadvantage: A qualitative study

Kemp

Knott

Ward

et al. 2021

Health Expectations

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Background Opportunities for cancer survivors’ employment can both reflect and perpetuate health inequities, as employment is an important social determinant of health. Socio‐economic and geographic disadvantage is associated with greater difficulty finding work, but little is known about work needs of Australian cancer survivors living with disadvantage. Objective This study examined survivor and health‐care professional (HCP) perspectives on barriers experienced by Australian cancer survivors experiencing disadvantage when attempting to remain at or return to work. Method Focus groups and individual interviews were held with cancer survivors (N = 15) and oncology and primary HCPs (N = 41), focusing on communities at risk of disadvantage. Participants were asked about employment barriers and facilitators in general and in the context of disadvantage. Themes were identified using framework analysis. Results Geographic and socio‐economic disadvantage resulted in specific individual‐ and system‐level barriers. These related to distance from treatment and support services and limited availability and suitability of work for survivors living with geographic disadvantage, and limited availability, security, and flexibility of work and previous unemployment for survivors living with socio‐economic disadvantage. Identified needs included system‐level changes such as public and workplace‐level education, legislative and policy changes, and better access to resources. Conclusions Cancer survivors living with disadvantage experience limited access to flexible employment opportunities and resources, further perpetuating their disadvantage. Promotion of health equity for cancer survivors living with disadvantage requires systemic changes to support attempts to remain at/return to work. Patient or public contribution This study included cancer survivors and HCPs as investigators, authors and participants.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 59%

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 62%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Barriers to employment of Australian cancer survivors living with geographic or socio‐economic disadvantage: A qualitative study

Kemp

Knott

Ward

et al. 2021

Health Expectations

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“…Negative attitudes towards cancer survivors returning to work prevailed in rural areas, partly because rural residents are predisposed to believe that physical limitations among cancer survivors contribute to lower work productivity [ 13 ]. Sowden et al [ 14 ] showed that labor is more physically demanding in rural areas than in cities, and rural cancer survivors are more likely to retire early. In Finland, however, the capabilities of cancer survivors to work were not different from those of demographically matched healthy controls, and the ability of survivors diagnosed two years previously to engage in physical work had deteriorated by 26% [ 15 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Negative Public Attitudes towards Cancer Survivors Returning to Work: A Nationwide Survey in Korea

et al. 2016

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PurposeEarly diagnosis and an improved survival rate have emerged as important issues for cancer survivors returning to work during the prime of their working life. This study investigated the attitudes of the general public towards cancer survivors returning to work in Korea and attempted to identify the factors influencing this negative attitude.Materials and MethodsA general public perception survey regarding cancer survivors returning to work, targeting 2,000 individuals between 40-70 years of age, was conducted as face-to-face home visit.ResultsThe public expressed a negative attitude towards cancer survivors returning to work, in terms of both perception and acceptance. Negative perception was higher among those in metropolitan areas compared with urban/rural areas (odds ratio [OR], 1.71), with monthly incomes < $2,000 compared with > $4,000 (OR, 1.54), and with patient care experience compared with those without (OR, 1.41). Negative acceptance was higher among those with monthly incomes < $2,000 compared with > $4,000 (OR, 1.71) and those with patient care experience compared with those without (OR, 1.54). The common factors between acceptance and perception that influenced negative attitude included area of residence, patient care experience, and monthly income.ConclusionThis study identified negative attitudes towards cancer survivors returning to work in South Korea and the factors influencing the reintegration of cancer survivors into society. It is necessary to promote community awareness and intervention activities to enable access to community, social, and individual units for the social reintegration of cancer survivors.

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“…32 Our study also showed that 39% of rural cancer survivors reduced their work hours; again, this proportion is higher than that of another study conducted in America (31%). 24 These occupational issues are profound as many rural cancer survivors are forced to rely on their limited savings to support themselves or rely on the support of their family members.…”

Section: F I G U R E 3 Changes In Work Hoursmentioning

confidence: 99%

Work and income changes after cancer in rural China: A cross‐sectional survey

Zhang

Cai

et al. 2019

Cancer Medicine

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Background The present study aimed to first describe the work‐related outcomes of cancer survivors and to then identify those characteristics that influenced the decision to stop working in rural China. Methods We assessed 752 cancer survivors (residents of rural areas, working at the time of diagnosis, >1 year since completing treatment) from the cross‐sectional study “China Survey of Experiences with Cancer”. Participants reported changes in employment status, income, and the ability to perform physical jobs due to cancer, as well as the work‐related outcomes of their informal caregivers. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between sociodemographic characteristics, cancer characteristics, and changes in work (ie, continue to work vs not working). Results The participants were largely farmers (96%), women (56%), younger than 65 years old (69%), and diagnosed with colorectal (31%) and breast cancer (31%). Thirty‐nine percent reported reducing working hours, and 40% reported stopping work altogether. Approximately 7% of informal caregivers also stopped working in order to take care of those diagnosed with cancer. Thirty‐three percent of cancer survivors and 5% of their informal caregivers had no source of income following treatment. Controlling for other variables, lower educational attainment, physical limitations in work, and different cancer sites were significantly associated with ending employment in both men and women, while among men specifically, we observed that older age, being unmarried, and being diagnosed at later stages were significantly associated with an end to working. Conclusion Rural cancer survivors are at a high risk for stopping work after completing treatment, and many survivors and their caregivers experience poor work‐related outcomes and economic hardship. These results highlight the importance of paying attention to the work experiences of cancer survivors in rural China.

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The impact of cancer diagnosis on employment: is there a difference between rural and urban populations?

Abstract: A cancer diagnosis may have a greater impact on employment among rural residents. Cancer programs should recognize this disparity and enhance return to work and disability counseling in patients from rural areas.

Cited by 11 publications

References 19 publications

Barriers to employment of Australian cancer survivors living with geographic or socio‐economic disadvantage: A qualitative study

Barriers to employment of Australian cancer survivors living with geographic or socio‐economic disadvantage: A qualitative study

Negative Public Attitudes towards Cancer Survivors Returning to Work: A Nationwide Survey in Korea

Work and income changes after cancer in rural China: A cross‐sectional survey

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