Tanya Agurs-Colllins, PhD, RD: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Objectives: High diet quality may prevent co-morbidities and reduce health disparities among cancer survivors. This study aims to investigate the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) scores among cancer survivors and examine race/ethnicity and socioeconomic (SES) characteristics associated with the index.
Methods: Secondary analysis of cancer survivors 18 years and older participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data (2011-2020), a cross-sectional study (n=2590 cancer survivors; 23,675 non-cancer population). Cancer survivors completed questionnaires measuring sociodemographic, lifestyle, health-related characteristics, and 24-hour dietary recalls to measure dietary intakes. Diet quality was assessed by DASH scores calculated from average intakes of 9 target nutrients (fat, saturated fat, protein, cholesterol, fiber, magnesium, calcium, sodium, and potassium)(score 0-9). Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine associations with the DASH accordance (>4.5) after adjustment for potential confounders (e.g., age, sex, smoking, education, marital status, total calories, alcohol, physical activity, BMI).
Results: There were no significant differences between the total DASH total score for cancer survivors and non-cancer survivors. Compared to Non-Hispanic Whites, Hispanic cancer survivors were associated with higher odds of being DASH-accordant (OR 1.74, 95% CI: 1.00 – 3.03). Sociodemographic and lifestyle factors associated with high versus low DASH diet scores included middle income (OR= 0.61, 95% CI 0.40 – 0.91) and current smoking (OR= 0.32, 95% CI 0.14 – 0.73). In adjusted analysis, DASH-accordance was associated with lower odds of reporting cardiovascular disease (CVD) (OR=0.45, 95% CI 0.22 – 0.95), but not for diabetes.
Conclusions: Diet quality was low among cancer survivors and non-cancer populations. A high DASH diet score may protect against CVD risk among cancer survivors.
