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Addressing Social Risks in Cancer Care
Background
Social risks are adverse conditions or contextual factors associated with poor health. They may increase an individual’s likelihood of having unmet social needs, such as food-, housing-, and transportation insecurity. Social risks and social needs can pose significant barriers to cancer care and contribute to poorer health-related outcomes, especially for cancer patients and survivors from historically underserved and marginalized backgrounds.
Healthcare organizations are increasingly implementing approaches to capture and address patient’s social risks and needs. However, there is limited evidence to guide the delivery of system-level efforts, especially in diverse cancer care delivery settings. Reducing disparities in cancer outcomes and advancing equitable cancer care delivery will require effective integration of social care and clinical care across the cancer care continuum, from prevention and screening through end-of-life care.
What is social risk research?
In cancer care delivery, social risk research focuses on understanding and addressing the structural and institutional contexts and processes that impact the delivery of quality cancer care and outcomes. Social risk research includes developing, implementing, and evaluating multilevel interventions that integrate social and cancer care, such as:
- Identifying the presence of social risks or needs in patients and communities
- Adjusting or informing care for cancer patients and survivors experiencing social risks and needs
- Connecting cancer patients and/or caregivers with social care resources
- Organizing and distributing new and existing social care resources within and outside cancer care delivery settings
- Cultivating clinical-community partnerships to increase the availability and accessibility of social care resources for cancer patients and communities
Social risk research incorporates equity-conscious approaches that recognize the unique histories of patients, communities of color, and others who have been historically underserved and marginalized. This research engages communities as partners throughout the research process and applies intersectionality (e.g., overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage based on class, gender, and race) as a conceptual and methodological framework.
The NCI’s Healthcare Delivery Research Program supports research in this scientific area by developing and facilitating access to funding opportunities, training, and data resources.
Highlighted Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs)
Featured Funding Opportunities
- Health care models for persons with multiple chronic conditions from populations that experience health disparities: Advancing health care towards health equity (PAR-22-092
) - Patient-Clinician Relationship: Improving Health Outcomes Among Populations that Experience Health Disparities (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) (PAR-22-064)
- Pilot Interventions to Integrate Social Care and Medical Care to Improve Health Equity (R01—Clinical Trial Required) (RFA-DK-22-038)
Notice(s) of Special Interest
- Stimulating Research to Understand and Address Hunger, Food and Nutrition Insecurity (NOT-OD-22-135)
- Improving Adherence to Treatment and Prevention Regimens and Maintenance of Health Behaviors to Promote Health (NOT-OD-24-146)
Additional Opportunities
Visit the DCCPS funding opportunity page to apply for other cancer control grants.
Events
Data Tools & Resources
Health Disparities and Health Equity
Social Determinants of Health by US Census Tract
This data set includes, for each US census tract (defined using 2010 census tract boundaries), certain social determinants of health data elements defined using 2008-2012 American Community Survey data and 2010 definitions of rural urban commuting areas.
PhenX Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Assessments Collection
The SDOH assessments collection enables researchers to develop, disseminate, and use standard data collection measures.
Community Resilience Estimates Equity Supplement
The CRE for Equity dataset provides information about the nation, states, counties, and census tracts from the Community Resilience Estimates, the American Community Survey, and the Census Bureau’s Planning Database.
Social Needs Screen Tool Comparison Table
This table summarizes characteristics for each tool, including information about the intended population or setting, total number of questions, social health domains covered, and domain-specific measures used.
