Effectiveness of Nutritional Counseling in Improving the Nutritional Status of Cancer Patients

Document Type : Original research articles

Authors

1 Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Faculty of Home Economics, Menoufia University, Shibin El Kom, Egypt.

2 Department of Complementary Medicine, National Research Center, Institute of Medical Research and Clinical Studies, Cairo, Egypt

Abstract

Nutritional counseling identifies each patient's particular needs. The provision of nutritional support by individualized nutritional assessment and care plan developed by a professional nutrition physician and implemented by a dietitian is crucial for improving cancer patients' nutritional status. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of nutrition counseling either directly or by video in cancer patients. One hundred and one cancer patients were screened randomly and divided into two groups. Both groups had individualized nutritional Counseling given by a dietitian according to the nutrition care plan developed by a clinical nutritionist. Group 1: had direct nutritional counseling before starting the treatment, every follow-up visit, and daily by mobile phone for six months during therapy. Group 2: had predesigned weekly scheduled nutrition educational videos before starting treatment and weekly during treatment. Each group was subdivided into group (A) obese and group (B) non-obese. We found that direct daily nutrition counseling had significantly good results than weekly video counseling. Direct nutrition interventions positively impacted anthropometrics (body weight and BMI mid-arm circumference and triceps skinfold), nutrition status, protein, energy intake, and biochemical measurements used to assess nutritional statuses such as serum albumin and hemoglobin. These results highlight the importance of early incorporation of nutrition interventions as a component of cancer therapy for the oncology patient population. 

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