Nutrition education and cooking workshops for families of children with cancer: a feasibility study

Abstract

Background: Perturbations of food intake are common in children with cancer and are often caused by nausea and changes in the sense of taste. The VIE (Valorization, Implication, Education) study proposes family-based nutrition and cooking education workshops during childhood cancer treatments. Process evaluation during implementation allows to assess if the intervention was delivered as planned and to determine its barriers and facilitators. The study objective was to describe the implementation process of a nutrition education and cooking workshop program for families of children actively treated for cancer in a non-randomized non-controlled feasibility study. Methods: Six open-to-all in-hospital workshops were offered on a weekly basis during a one-year implementation phase. We collected qualitative and quantitative using field notes and activity reports completed by the registered dietician facilitator; surveys and questionnaires fulfilled by the workshop participants and by the families enrolled in the VIE study. Field notes were used to collect only qualitative data. Survey respondents (n=26) were mostly mothers (n=19, 73%). Children’s mean age was 7.80 (± 4.99) years and the mean time since diagnosis was 7.98 (± 0.81) months. Qualitative data were codified using hybrid content analysis. The first deductive analysis was based on the Steckler & Linnan concepts. Subthemes were then identified inductively. Quantitative data were presented with descriptive statistics. Results: Workshop attendance was low (17 participants over 1 year) and 71% of the planned workshops were cancelled due to lack of participants. The principal barriers to participation referred the child’s medical condition, parental presence at the child’s bedside and challenges related to logistics and time management. The level of interest in the topics addressed was found high or very high for 92% of the participants. The themes that were perceived as the most useful by parents were related to the child’ specific medical condition. Conclusions: Despite high interest, workshops delivered in a face-to-face format were poorly feasible in our sample population. This supports the needs to develop and adapt educational programs in pediatric oncology using strategies and delivery formats that address the major barriers for participation encountered by families.

Participating in a Health Promotion Program in Pediatric Oncology: Perspectives of Children, Adolescents and Families

“…There is evidence that survivors of childhood cancers are at signi cantly greater risk of suffering from various adverse effects secondary to cancer and its treatment [1][2][3][4]. Consequently, researchers and clinicians have highlighted the importance of developing and testing innovative interventions aiming at reducing the impact of these adverse effects [5][6][7] and supporting children affected by cancer throughout their journey (i.e., from diagnosis to survivorship). One area of study that has gained popularity in the pediatric oncology literature in the last decade is health prevention and promotion.…”

Development and Usability Evaluation of a Facebook-Based Intervention Program for Childhood Cancer Patients: Mixed Methods Study

“…In addition, various interventions to improve long-term outcomes for teens with cancer have been developed worldwide. For example, the Nursing Discipline of the COG has developed key principles and recommendations for patient and family education practices [ 17 ] as well as interventions for teens with cancer, such as nutrition and cooking workshops [ 18 ], nutrition and body weight changes [ 19 ], systematic intervention for psychological preparation for radiotherapy treatment [ 20 ], mobile health intervention to improve adherence and quality of life [ 21 ], and a web-based physical activity intervention [ 22 ]. However, few intervention studies involving teens with cancer have been conducted in Korea.…”