Health Behaviors of Cancer Survivors According to the Employment Status and Occupation: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

This study aimed to identify differences in health behaviors according to the employment status and occupation of cancer survivors, as well as to identify risk factors. Using data from the Korea National and Health Nutrition Examination Survey (2008–2018), 1023 cancer survivors aged 19–60 years were classified based on their employment status and occupation, and their health behaviors were comparatively assessed. To investigate the impact of occupational status on the health behaviors of cancer survivors, we performed multivariate adjusted logistic regression analysis. Five hundred fifty-six (54.3%) cancer survivors were engaged in economic activities. After adjusting for various factors, white- and blue-collar workers exhibited an increased risk of obesity. The blue-collar group had a 1.45 times higher risk of non-practice with cancer screening, while the white-collar group had a 0.50 times lower risk of non-practice with health screening. The results provide evidence of the need to support cancer survivors in practicing healthy behaviors according to their employment status and occupation. As cancer survivors’ economic activities increase, it is necessary to help them manage their health by predicting any possible health-behavior failures.