Oral Presentation 2025 Joint Meeting of the COSA ASM and IPOS Congress

Unmet financial needs and support-seeking among rural Queensland cancer survivors (125982)

Jessica Langford 1 2 , Melinda Protani 2 , Michael Ireland 3 4 , Sonja March 3 5 , Jeff Dunn 3 6 , Suzanne Chambers 7 8 , Belinda Goodwin 1 3 9 , Elizabeth Johnston 1 10 , Susannah Ayre 1 10
  1. Cancer Council Queensland, Fortitude Valley, QLD, Australia
  2. School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
  3. Centre for Health Research, University of Southern Queensland, Springfield, QLD, Australia
  4. School of Psychology, University of Southern Queensland, Springfield, QLD, Australia
  5. Manna Institute, University of Southern Queensland, Springfield, QLD, Australia
  6. Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  7. Faculty of Health Sciences, Australian Catholic University, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
  8. Exercise Medicine Research Institute, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, Australia
  9. School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  10. School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

Objective: The financial burden of cancer for individuals is not well understood in Australia, particularly among those living in rural areas. This study examined the prevalence of unmet financial needs among rural cancer survivors, the extent to which they received information about and sought support for these needs, and factors associated with these outcomes.

Sample and setting: A total of 716 cancer survivors living in regional or remote areas of Queensland, Australia were included in this analysis.

Methods: Cancer survivors who had travelled >50 kilometres to a metropolitan centre to receive cancer care were recruited while staying at a subsidised accommodation lodge between September 2017 and June 2020. Participants completed a survey at baseline, then again at 3, 12, 24, and 36 months post-baseline. Three financial outcomes were assessed, including i) unmet financial needs, ii) receipt of information from medical staff about where to seek financial support, and iii) support-seeking for financial needs. Separate generalised linear mixed models (GLMMs), accounting for repeated measures, were used to identify factors associated with each outcome.

Results: Almost half of participants (n=348, 49%) experienced an unmet financial need at least once during the 3-year study period, while 247 (35%) received information about available financial support, and 137 (19%) actively sought financial support. The odds of reporting these outcomes differed by demographic and clinical factors, such as age, household income, and cancer type.

Conclusions and clinical implications: Unmet financial needs were common among rural cancer survivors, yet few received information or support to address these challenges. Routine screening and targeted interventions, such as subsidised financial counselling services, are needed to bridge these gaps. Improving access to financial support is necessary to reduce burden and improve survivorship outcomes for rural populations.