Demographic and disease characteristics associated with non-hodgkin lymphoma survivors' quality of life: does age matter?

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To examine demographic and disease characteristics by age and the moderating effect of age on quality of life (QOL) among non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) survivors.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional, secondary analysis study of NHL survivors.

SETTING

Two North Carolina cancer registries.

SAMPLE

741 NHL survivors with a mean age of 62 years and a mean time since diagnosis of 10 years.

METHODS

Mailed surveys were sent to individuals treated for NHL. All analyses were conducted using SPSS®, version 18.0. Multiple regression was used to analyze relationships among demographic and disease characteristics, age, and QOL.

MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES

Demographic, disease, and clinical characteristics on QOL.

FINDINGS

In relation to QOL, income and gender were moderated by age; for example, younger survivors who earned less than $30,000 annually had a poorer QOL. Women reported a higher QOL than men.

CONCLUSIONS

Age was a moderator for income and an indicator for how income could affect care of younger survivors. Men reported a lower QOL than women and gender-specific resources may be helpful to them.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING

Nursing research should focus on age-sensitive resources targeted for younger NHL survivors.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSLATION

Age is an important characteristic that impacts overall health-related QOL. Oncology nurses are instrumental in identifying patients at all ages who could benefit from age-specific resources.