TY - JOUR
T1 - Risk perceptions and health care use in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic in adults treated for childhood cancer
AU - Janah, Asmaa
AU - Demoor-Goldschmidt, Charlotte
AU - De Vathaire, Florent
AU - Bougas, Nicolas
AU - Clavel, Jacqueline
AU - Poulalhon, Claire
AU - Lacour, Brigitte
AU - Souchard, Vincent
AU - Jackson, Angela
AU - Casagranda, Leonie
AU - Berger, Claire
AU - Allodji, Rodrigue
AU - Haddy, Nadia
AU - El Fayech, Chiraz
AU - Fresneau, Brice
AU - Dumas, Agnès
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
PY - 2022/7/1
Y1 - 2022/7/1
N2 - Purpose: During the COVID-19 pandemic, childhood cancer survivors (CCS) may have felt more at risk of having severe consequences of COVID-19 and therefore may have been more likely to defer their health care use. We aimed to assess the risk perceptions of CCS related to COVID-19 (perceived infection risk, perceived risk of experiencing a severe illness in the event of infection), and their forgoing of health care during the year 2020. Methods: In December 2020, we interviewed through an online self-report questionnaire 580 5-year CCS participating in the French Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (FCCSS) cohort. Combining clinical and patient-reported outcomes, we studied predictors of perceived risks related to COVID-19 and forgoing health care. Results: Overall, 60% of respondents stated that COVID-19 could have severe consequences for their health if infected. Survivors with a cardiovascular disease and those who felt more at risk of being infected were more likely to think that COVID-19 could have severe health consequences for them. Moreover, 30% of respondents seeking care declared they had forgone at least one medical appointment in 2020. Forgoing medical appointments was more common among CCS who reported a deterioration in their financial situation in 2020 and those who felt more at risk of being infected. Conclusions: This study shows that a considerable proportion of survivors had forgone medical appointments because of the pandemic; forgoing care was more frequent among the most socioeconomically disadvantaged survivors. Implications for cancer survivors. This study presents data hitherto absent in the literature and suggests the need to develop telehealth to ensure appropriate long-term follow-up of CCS.
AB - Purpose: During the COVID-19 pandemic, childhood cancer survivors (CCS) may have felt more at risk of having severe consequences of COVID-19 and therefore may have been more likely to defer their health care use. We aimed to assess the risk perceptions of CCS related to COVID-19 (perceived infection risk, perceived risk of experiencing a severe illness in the event of infection), and their forgoing of health care during the year 2020. Methods: In December 2020, we interviewed through an online self-report questionnaire 580 5-year CCS participating in the French Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (FCCSS) cohort. Combining clinical and patient-reported outcomes, we studied predictors of perceived risks related to COVID-19 and forgoing health care. Results: Overall, 60% of respondents stated that COVID-19 could have severe consequences for their health if infected. Survivors with a cardiovascular disease and those who felt more at risk of being infected were more likely to think that COVID-19 could have severe health consequences for them. Moreover, 30% of respondents seeking care declared they had forgone at least one medical appointment in 2020. Forgoing medical appointments was more common among CCS who reported a deterioration in their financial situation in 2020 and those who felt more at risk of being infected. Conclusions: This study shows that a considerable proportion of survivors had forgone medical appointments because of the pandemic; forgoing care was more frequent among the most socioeconomically disadvantaged survivors. Implications for cancer survivors. This study presents data hitherto absent in the literature and suggests the need to develop telehealth to ensure appropriate long-term follow-up of CCS.
KW - COVID-19
KW - Childhood cancer survivors
KW - Chronic health conditions
KW - Forgoing care
KW - Health care use
KW - Pandemic
KW - Risk perception
KW - Teleconsultation use
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85128774070&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00520-022-07035-0
DO - 10.1007/s00520-022-07035-0
M3 - Article
C2 - 35460426
AN - SCOPUS:85128774070
SN - 0941-4355
VL - 30
SP - 6263
EP - 6271
JO - Supportive Care in Cancer
JF - Supportive Care in Cancer
IS - 7
ER -