Financial Relief for Families Affected by Child and Adolescent Cancer: A Discrete Choice Experiment.
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PURPOSE: Families of children and adolescents with cancer often face financial hardships, exacerbated by reduced income and increased expenditure. This study identified parent and carer preferences regarding financial aid programs for childhood/adolescent cancer and explored heterogeneity in these preferences using a discrete choice experiment. METHODS: We surveyed parents/carers of children/adolescents diagnosed with cancer in Australia within the past 10 years. Attributes were identified through a scoping review and qualitative study. Five key attributes were selected: modality of financial aid information, personalization of information, amount of information provided, assistance with applications, and timing and amount of support. Participants completed nine unlabeled choice tasks from a 27-task, three-block design. Pre-testing and pilot testing evaluated survey functionality and informed a Bayesian D-efficient design. A mixed multinomial logit model was used to assess the importance of each attribute and identify preference heterogeneity. RESULTS: The most valued attributes were timing and amount of support (p < 0.01) and personalized information (p < 0.05). Preference heterogeneity was observed, with low-income families favoring staged support with smaller, periodic disbursements over one-off payments. "Timing and amount of support" was the most important attribute, followed by personalization of information, amount of information, assistance with applications, and presentation of information. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that timely, tailored financial aid programs, delivered via a centralized platform with streamlined application support, may improve financial aid effectiveness and equity. These insights can guide charities and policymakers in designing more responsive and equitable support systems for families navigating childhood cancer.