DESCRIPTION:
This talk will discuss how social vulnerability affects oncology care and outcomes, with a focus on how social risk is measured. It will review area-level measures, such as the Area Deprivation Index (ADI), and present a study examining the association between area-level social disadvantage and integrative therapy use among breast cancer survivors. The study found lower use and familiarity with several integrative therapies among patients living in more disadvantaged areas, despite similar levels of interest. The talk will then discuss the limitations of using area-level measures to understand patient-specific social circumstances and the importance of incorporating individual-level social risk assessments to better understand a patient's social risk.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
• Describe area-level social risk and its relevance to oncology care
• Examine the association between area-level social risk and integrative medicine use among breast cancer survivors
• Discuss the limitations of area-level measures and the role of individual-level social risk assessment in oncology care.