Associations between income level and health outcomes in people with cystic fibrosis in Turkey

Background Our study aimed to identify the social domains that pose the greatest barriers to managing and supporting pwCF, particularly in relation to income levels. Methods To identify associations between income and health outcomes in pwCF in our center the shorter form of the survey "Your Current Life Situation" (YCLS) was used in face-to-face interviews. Participants were also asked to complete the validated Turkish versions of the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7) to assess depression and anxiety, respectively. Results In total, 282 pwCF were included in this study. 51.1 % were female (n = 144), mean (+/- SD) age was 13.8 (+/- 8.7) years and 75 % (n = 211) were <18 years old. The median (IQR) values of pwCF; FEV1pp (percent predictive) 83 % (41-97), BMI (body mass index) 17 kg/m(2) (15 similar to 20), BMI z-score -0.1 (-1 similar to 0.3). Of the pwCF in the study 89 % (n = 251) had an income below the poverty threshold and 21 % (n = 60) of them had an income below the hunger threshold. The results of YCLS survey showed that the highest level of insecurity was in the social domain (68.5 %, n = 193); this was followed by health and clinical care (62.1 %, n = 173), financial (37.9 %, n = 106), and food insecurity (37.2 %, n = 103). All individuals experiencing housing insecurity stated that they had requested help from local organisations. Conclusion The study highlights the substantial socioeconomic challenges faced by pwCF, a significant majority live below the poverty threshold and experience high levels of social and health insecurity, underscoring the need for comprehensive support systems to address these issues.