Quality of Life in the First Year of Cancer Diagnosis among Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal People Living in Regional and Remote Areas of Australia

Elaina Elder-Robinson, Abbey Diaz, Kirsten Howard, Darshit Rajeshkumar Parikh, Giam Kar and Gail Garvey
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Elaina Elder-Robinson: School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Herston, QLD 4006, Australia
Abbey Diaz: School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Herston, QLD 4006, Australia
Kirsten Howard: Menzies Centre for Health Policy and Economics, School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Darshit Rajeshkumar Parikh: School of Psychological and Clinical Sciences, Charles Darwin University, Causarina, NT 0810, Australia
Giam Kar: Alan Walker Cancer Care Centre, Royal Darwin Hospital, Casuarina, NT 0810, Australia
Gail Garvey: School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Herston, QLD 4006, Australia

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 19, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Little is known of the quality of life (QoL) of cancer patients in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia, where healthcare delivery is geographically challenged. This exploratory study describes QoL among Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal cancer patients in the NT, in the first year of diagnosis. Participants were recruited from the only cancer care centre in the NT and completed the Assessment of Quality-of-Life questionnaire (AQoL-4D). The results were descriptively analysed. The participants’ (n = 63; mean age 58.8 years) mean AQoL utility score was 0.72 (SD 0.26); patients scored lowest in the relationships and mental health dimensions of the questionnaire (mean 0.89, SD 0.19, and 0.89, SD 0.17, respectively). Participants living in remote and very remote areas (46%) reported higher QoL scores, compared with participants in the outer regional capital city of the NT in the overall (mean 0.76, SD 0.22 and 0.78, SD 0.20 vs. 0.67, SD 0.29, respectively), and mental health dimensions (mean 0.92, SD 0.09 and mean 0.94, SD 0.06 vs. 0.85, SD 0.22, respectively). The findings were suggestive of clinically meaningful differences across socioeconomic groups, cancer and treatment types, and comorbidity status. Mean QoL scores were consistent with previous reports in other Australian cancer cohorts. The findings suggest a need to support cancer patients’ mental health and relationships during the diagnosis and treatment phase of their cancer journey.

Keywords: quality of life; health-related quality of life; AQoL; remote; regional; indigenous health; aboriginal; Northern Territory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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