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Nutritional Epidemiology (Poster Session)

(P17-074-25) Divergent Diets: Investigating Racial Disparities in Food Consumption Patterns Among Cancer Survivors Using NHANES 2015-2020

Sunday, June 1, 2025
11:45 AM – 12:45 PM ET
Location: Poster Board A-70

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Corey Williams

    Clinical Research Coordinator III
    Emory University
    Atlanta, Georgia, United States

    • Co-Author(s)

  • TH

    Terryl J. Hartman, PhD, MPH, RD

    Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health, Winship Cancer Institute

  • XH

    Xiao Hu

    Emory University, United States

  • Hanqi Luo, PhD

    Assistant Research Professor
    Emory University
    Oakland, California, United States

Disclosure(s):
Corey Williams: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.


Objectives: This study investigates racial disparities in dietary patterns among cancer survivors using NHANES 2015–2020.

Methods: Cancer survivors aged 20 and older from NHANES 2015–2020 with reliable dietary data (n = 1,322) were included. Dietary intake was assessed using USDA's multiple-pass recall method (day 1 was used). Food security was assessed using USDA’s 9 questions, where households were classified as food secure if they had full or marginal food security, and food insecure if they had low or very low food security. Statistical analyses were conducted for participant characteristics, energy intake, and macro- and micronutrient consumption, stratified by race and ethnicity. All statistical analyses accounted for complex survey design.

Results: Participants had a mean (95% CI) age of 64.2 [63.2, 65.3] years, with 56.3% female and predominantly non-Hispanic White (83.4%), with the remaining participants being non-Hispanic Black (5.8%), Hispanic (5.3%), and other racial groups (5.5%). Mean daily energy intake varied by racial/ethnic groups from 2,075 (1825, 2327) kcal in non-Hispanic Whites to 1,784 (1472, 2096) kcal in Hispanics. Percent energy from macronutrient intake showed little differences, although both non-Hispanic Blacks and Hispanic groups had slightly higher carbohydrate intake (11.5% - 12.2% vs 11.1%) and lower protein intake (3.5%- 3.8% vs 4.1%) compared to non-Hispanic Whites. Fiber intake was similar across groups, ranging from 13.4 grams [12.4, 14.3] among non-Hispanic Blacks to 16.5 grams [15.5, 17.5] among non-Hispanic Whites, with percent energy from fiber varying minimally (7 – 9 grams per 1000 kcal). Dietary supplement use was highest among non-Hispanic White (75.3 [71.9, 78.7] %), and lowest among non-Hispanic Black survivors (60.8 [53.4, 68.1] %). Food insecurity was higher among racial/ethnic minorities (Hispanics: 35.1%, non-Hispanic Black 18.8%), compared to non-Hispanic White (10.3%).

Conclusions: These findings highlight substantial disparities in dietary intake, supplement use, and food security across racial/ethnic groups, calling the need for culturally tailored nutrition interventions to improve diet quality and health outcome among minority cancer survivors.

Funding Sources: Partially supported by NHLBI grant (R01HL166233)