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Peer-reviewedCC BYCureus

The Impact of Marital Status and Employment Disruption on Food Insecurity Among a National Sample of Cancer Survivors

  • LaMarcus T Wingate1
  • Faith Ogini1
  • Rakchhya Uprety1
  • Ruth Demessie1
  • Salome Weaver1
  • Folashade Onagbeso1
  • Natasha R Brown2
  • Martina Bakhoum1
  • Nkem P Nonyel1
  1. 1Department of Clinical and Administrative Pharmacy Sciences, Howard University College of Pharmacy, Washington, D.C., USA
  2. 2Department of Communication, Indiana University Northwest, Gary, IN, USA
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Abstract

Background: Emerging evidence suggests that financial toxicity may be associated with a greater likelihood of experiencing food insecurity in cancer survivors. Although marital status is an established correlate of food insecurity in the general population, its role among cancer survivors remains understudied. The objective of this study was to examine the association between the likelihood of food insecurity and employment disruption and marital status in a national sample of cancer survivors.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the 2016-2017 panels of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) Experiences with Cancer Survivorship Supplement. Marital status was categorized as married, formerly married, or never married, and employment status was categorized according to full employment following cancer diagnosis, no employment at time of diagnosis, or employment disruption. Weighted logistic regression models were constructed to evaluate the association between marital status, employment status, and food insecurity.

Results: Survivors experiencing employment disruption had higher odds of food insecurity compared with those who retained full employment (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 2.46; p = 0.005). Formerly married (aOR = 2.14; p = 0.003) and never-married survivors (aOR = 2.52; p = 0.014) also had higher odds of food insecurity compared with married survivors.

Conclusion: Cancer survivors who are unmarried and experience employment disruption have a higher likelihood of experiencing food insecurity.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{wingate2026impact,
  title = {{The Impact of Marital Status and Employment Disruption on Food Insecurity Among a National Sample of Cancer Survivors}},
  author = {LaMarcus T Wingate and Faith Ogini and Rakchhya Uprety and Ruth Demessie and Salome Weaver and Folashade Onagbeso and Natasha R Brown and Martina Bakhoum and Nkem P Nonyel},
  journal = {Cureus},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.7759/cureus.117334},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13723351},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - The Impact of Marital Status and Employment Disruption on Food Insecurity Among a National Sample of Cancer Survivors
AU  - LaMarcus T Wingate
AU  - Faith Ogini
AU  - Rakchhya Uprety
AU  - Ruth Demessie
AU  - Salome Weaver
AU  - Folashade Onagbeso
AU  - Natasha R Brown
AU  - Martina Bakhoum
AU  - Nkem P Nonyel
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/01
JO  - Cureus
DO  - 10.7759/cureus.117334
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13723351
AB  - Background: Emerging evidence suggests that financial toxicity may be associated with a greater likelihood of experiencing food insecurity in cancer survivors. Although marital status is an established correlate of food insecurity in the general population, its role among cancer survivors remains understudied. The objective of this study was to examine the association between the likelihood of food insecurity and employment disruption and marital status in a national sample of cancer survivors.  Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the 2016-2017 panels of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) Experiences with Cancer Survivorship Supplement. Marital status was categorized as married, formerly married, or never married, and employment status was categorized according to full employment following cancer diagnosis, no employment at time of diagnosis, or employment disruption. Weighted logistic regression models were constructed to evaluate the association between marital status, employment status, and food insecurity.  Results: Survivors experiencing employment disruption had higher odds of food insecurity compared with those who retained full employment (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 2.46; p = 0.005). Formerly married (aOR = 2.14; p = 0.003) and never-married survivors (aOR = 2.52; p = 0.014) also had higher odds of food insecurity compared with married survivors.  Conclusion: Cancer survivors who are unmarried and experience employment disruption have a higher likelihood of experiencing food insecurity.
SN  - 2168-8184
ER  -