Mentor/s
Prof. Rui Liu
Participation Type
Poster
Abstract
Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. While many factors affect diagnosis and treatment, socioeconomic status (SES) plays a critical role. People from lower-income backgrounds often face more barriers to timely diagnosis, access to care, and effective treatment, which can lead to worse outcomes. In this study, we examined the relationship between income and lung cancer prevalence among U.S. adults using secondary data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Our analysis included 4,073 adult respondents and focused on annual family income and self-reported lung cancer diagnoses.
Overall, 3.2% of participants reported a lung cancer diagnosis. When arranged by income, individuals earning between $0–34,999 had the highest prevalence at 5.3%, compared to 1.9% among those earning over $100,000. A Chi-square test confirmed the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001), showing a clear association between lower income and increased risk. Adults in lower-income households were more than twice as likely to report a lung cancer diagnosis than those in higher-income households. This pattern held across gender and racial subgroups, even though most identified as White.
In conclusion, our study highlights a strong link between low income and lung cancer prevalence. To reduce these disparities, public health efforts should focus on improving access to affordable screening, addressing structural and environmental barriers, and increasing education around the social determinants of health. Future research should continue exploring how factors like race, education, and geographic location intersect with income to influence lung cancer outcomes.
College and Major available
Health Science
Academic Level
Undergraduate student
Location
Digital Commons & West Campus West Building University Commons
Start Day/Time
4-25-2025 12:00 PM
End Day/Time
4-25-2025 2:00 PM
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Lung Cancer Outcomes in Relation to Socioeconomic Status
Digital Commons & West Campus West Building University Commons
Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. While many factors affect diagnosis and treatment, socioeconomic status (SES) plays a critical role. People from lower-income backgrounds often face more barriers to timely diagnosis, access to care, and effective treatment, which can lead to worse outcomes. In this study, we examined the relationship between income and lung cancer prevalence among U.S. adults using secondary data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Our analysis included 4,073 adult respondents and focused on annual family income and self-reported lung cancer diagnoses.
Overall, 3.2% of participants reported a lung cancer diagnosis. When arranged by income, individuals earning between $0–34,999 had the highest prevalence at 5.3%, compared to 1.9% among those earning over $100,000. A Chi-square test confirmed the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001), showing a clear association between lower income and increased risk. Adults in lower-income households were more than twice as likely to report a lung cancer diagnosis than those in higher-income households. This pattern held across gender and racial subgroups, even though most identified as White.
In conclusion, our study highlights a strong link between low income and lung cancer prevalence. To reduce these disparities, public health efforts should focus on improving access to affordable screening, addressing structural and environmental barriers, and increasing education around the social determinants of health. Future research should continue exploring how factors like race, education, and geographic location intersect with income to influence lung cancer outcomes.
Students' Information
Kayla Marks, health science, honors, 2025
Emily Raymond, health science, honors, 2025
Arnayah Carvalho-Mendes, health science, not honors, 2025
Samantha Irizarry, health science, not honors, 2025