Social determinants of health in Cystic Fibrosis

<bold>Background:</bold> Recent interest in health and wellness highlights the impact of the social determinants of health (SDH). The WHO defines SDH as "the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age" and "the basic enabling factors of these conditions.” Our study focused on identifying the challenges faced by people with Cystic Fibrosis (pwCF) beyond medical care. <bold>Methods:</bold> Using the 'Your Current Life Situation' survey, we assessed SDH among pwCFs at Marmara University CF Center, with parents responding for under the age of 18 years and adult pwCFs self-responding. <bold>Results:</bold> A total of 282 pwCF were included in our study. 51.1% were female (n=144), mean age was 13.8 (std ± 8.7) years. Of the patients, 74.8 % (n = 211) were aged < 18 years. Median values of the BMI z score -0.19 (25th-75th: -0.99- 0.34). Of the patients, 21.5 % (n = 61) had an income below the hunger threshold and 90.3 % (n=254) had an income below the poverty threshold. When the SDH 6 domain was examined, it was observed that the highest level of insecurity was in the social domain (68.5%, n = 193). This was followed by healthcare and clinical care (62.1%), financial (37.9%), and food insecurity (37.2%). All patients experiencing housing insecurity stated that they requested help from shelter areas. <bold>Conclusion:</bold> The challenges and issues associated with CF family experiences will be systematically identified and appropriate resources will be created to address them.