Prevalence of Nutrition- Impact Symptoms at Different Disease Stages among Paediatric Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Eldoret, Kenya

Abstract

Malnutrition incidence among patients with cancer ranges from 30% - 80% globally.  Cancer is a major cause of death in Kenya after cardiovascular and infectious diseases. This research assessed the relationship between nutritional status and quality of life (QoL) of the 52 paediatric cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) Eldoret, Kenya. A cross-sectional analytical design was applied and the researcher administered a questionnaire and Nutritional Risk Screening (NRS-2002) instruments were used for data collection. The statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 21 was used to analyse the data descriptively. The findings revealed that nutrition impact symptoms were more pronounced in the second and third stages of cancer where most of the respondents experienced vomiting (94.3%),  decreased appetite (80.8%), and diarrhoea (69.23%). The use of the Nutrition Impact Symptom (NIS) checklist in the paediatric oncology clinic/ward triggers more therapeutic interventions. The awareness for NIS will likely evoke more research in assessment, impact, and treatment.