Effect of Nutritional Guidelines on Parents' Knowledge, Practice and Children Outcomes Receiving Chemotherapy at Zagazig University

Abstract

Cancers in children account for well under 2% of all cancer worldwide, but a much larger proportion of total life-years potentially lost to cancer. Leukemia is the most frequent childhood cancer. Central nervous system tumors are the most common group of solid tumors, and solid tumors overall are histologically much more diverse in children than in adults. In 2018 there will have been 200,000 newly diagnosed cases of childhood cancer worldwide. Multimodal treatments can have an additional adverse effect on nutritional status, so effective nursing strategies for children with  cancer are critical to successful care and Parents are not only there to support their child physically or mentally, but they also offer such organizational help as meal preparation and administering treatment. The aims of the current study was to Identify the effect of nutritional education guidelines on parents' k., practice and children outcomes receiving chemotherapy. Research Design: A quasi-experimental study design (pre, post and follow up) was used to evaluate effect of nutritional education guidelines on parents' knowledge, practice and children outcomes receiving chemotherapy. Settings: The study was conducted in Pediatric Hematology and Oncology unit in pediatric hospital at Zagazig University Children Hospitals. three tools used; first a Structured Interview Questionnaire sheet to collect data about characteristics of studied children’s parents and their knowledge and Practice. the second tool was Reported Brazilian Healthy Eating Index-Revised (BHEI-R): dietary assessment. And Third Physical Assessment Sheet to assess studied children’s nutrition. The study results indicates statistically significant positive correlations between total mean score of parents’ knowledge and their practices at pre (r= .674**), post (r= .506**), and follow (r= .576**) program phases, i.e. the higher the parents’ knowledge score the higher their practices. indicates statistically significant positive correlations between total mean score of parents’ practices and child’s BHEI-R Score at pre (r= .173*), post (r= .667**), and follow (r= .425**) pr. It can be concluded that the guidelines had improved studied parents' knowledge and practice about cancer nutrition for children receiving chemotherapy . Therefore, this study recommended that Ongoing in services education guidelines must be designed and implemented at pediatric hematology and oncology clinic to improve parents' knowledge and practices on the basis of children nutrition and care of the body who  receiving chemotherapy.