title: Correlates of quality of life among African American and white cancer survivors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  African Americans continue to suffer disproportionately from cancer morbidity and mortality, with emerging evidence suggesting potential quality of life (QOL) disparities in the survivorship period.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of the study was to assess sociodemographic, clinical, and psychosocial factors associated with physical and mental health QOL (PHQOL and MHQOL) among African American and white cancer survivors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients were recruited from tumor registries. Telephone interviews were conducted with 248 African American and 244 white respondents with a history of breast, prostate, or colorectal cancers. Multivariate regression models were used to assess what factors were associated with PHQOL and MHQOL.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Key racial differences in adjusted analyses included poorer MHQOL scores among African Americans compared with white survivors. Furthermore, race moderated the relationship between perceived social support and MHQOL, where higher social support levels were associated with increased MHQOL among African Americans. Other correlates of QOL impacted racial groups similarly. For example, factors associated with PHQOL scores included being unemployed, being uninsured, the presence of medical comorbidities, a longer time since diagnosis, and higher levels of cancer-related stress appraisals. Factors associated with MHQOL scores included being unemployed, higher levels of daily stress, higher levels of stress associated with the diagnosis, higher levels of education, higher levels of perceived social support, and higher levels of spirituality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Interventions aimed at increasing social support may have important implications for improving QOL outcomes among African Americans.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Measuring and understanding factors associated with QOL have important implications for patient adjustment and clinical decision making.
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago, 60612, USA. aliciak@uic.edu
authors.forename: Alicia K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Matthews
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tejeda
authors.forename: Timothy P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Michael L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Berbaum
authors.forename: Clara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Manfredi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000628:therapy; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012042:Registries; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data