Observational studyBMJ open2018
Is lack of social support associated with a delay in seeking medical care? A cross-sectional study of Minnesota and Tennessee residents using data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.
Observational study in BMJ open, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
32 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Examining associations of social disconnectedness change patterns with subsequent healthcare utilization and costs among public healthcare users in Central Singapore.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Willingness to Undergo Brain Health Testing and Motivation for Lifestyle Changes: Insights From a Survey of the Cuban Population.Brain and behavior · 2026Article
- Neighborhood deprivation is associated with longer hospital stay for common pediatric surgical procedures independent of complication rates.American journal of surgery · 2026Article
- Reasons for delayed medical treatment among cholelithiasis patients: a qualitative study based on the health belief model.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Social connectedness and healthcare engagement among adults with disabilities: The role of living arrangement.PloS one · 2026Article
- Sociodemographic factors that influence COVID-19 healthcare utilization and costs in Alberta, Canada: a population-based study using the Alberta COVID-19 analytics and research database.Frontiers in health services · 2026Article
- Risk Factors and Strategies for Failure to Rescue Following Hepatectomy: A Review.Journal of hepato-biliary-pancreatic sciences · 2025Review
- Mental Health Treatment of Individuals Seeking Holy Water Treatment in Ethiopia.JAMA network open · 2025Article
- Associations between prenatal diabetes mellitus, social determinants of health, and postpartum psychopathology: A retrospective review within women with diabetes mellitus.Research square · 2025Article
- The Role of Childhood Adversity and Social Drivers of Health in Subjective Cognitive Decline.Preventing chronic disease · 2025Article
- Association Between Delayed/Forgone Medical Care and Resource Utilization Among Women with Breast Cancer in the United States.Annals of surgical oncology · 2025Article
- Recorded Loneliness and Adverse Outcomes in Older Acute Care Inpatients Receiving Psychiatric Assessment.International journal of geriatric psychiatry · 2025Article
- Status and influencing factors of pre-hospital delay in young and middle-aged Chinese patients with acute ischemic stroke.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Social Support and Treatment Delays in Breast Cancer Patients Within an Integrated Health Care System.Psycho-oncology · 2024Article
- Article
- Psychosocial markers of pre-hospital delay in patients with diabetic foot: A cross-sectional survey.Nursing open · 2024Article
- Pre-diagnosis Symptoms, Attributed Causes, and Healthcare Seeking Assets of Younger Colorectal Cancer Survivors.Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education · 2023Article
- Is Social Support Associated with Colorectal Cancer Care Utilization? A Multilevel Mixed-Effects Model of a Cross-Sectional Cohort Study in Vietnam.Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP · 2023Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectivePrevious studies have demonstrated an association between social support and lower morbidity and mortality. Delay in seeking medical care is associated with poor health outcomes. The relationship between social support and delay in seeking medical care has not been established. We sought to determine whether lack of social support is associated with higher rates of delays in seeking needed medical care.
methodsThis is a cross-sectional observational study using data from the 2013 and 2014 Centers for Disease Control Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Participants who were asked questions about delays in medical care and social support were included. The primary outcome was a self-reported delay in seeking needed medical care. The primary independent variable of interest was a dichotomised measure of social support. Multivariable logistic regression was performed, adjusting for demographics, socioeconomic status, comorbidities and access to care.
resultsParticipants without social support were more likely to report delaying needed medical care when compared with participants with social support (38%vs19%, p<0.001). The association between lack of social support and delays in care persisted after adjustment for demographics, socioeconomic status, comorbidities and access to care (OR 1.72; 95% CI 1.45 to 2.06; p<0.001).
conclusionsLack of perceived social support is associated with patient-reported delay of needed medical care. This association may contribute to the poor health outcomes experienced by those with a lack of social support.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.