Factors associated with wasting among pediatric cancer patients aged 2–17 years at Uganda cancer institute: A cross-sectional study

Résumé

INTRODUCTION: Wasting is a major concern among pediatric cancer patients and significantly affects treatment outcomes and quality of life. However, limited data exist on the prevalence of wasting and its associated factors in low-income contexts. This study determined the prevalence of wasting and its associated factors among pediatric cancer patients aged 2--17 years at the Uganda Cancer Institute. METHODS: An institutionally based, cross-sectional study was conducted among 270 systematically randomly selected caregiver‒child pairs. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariable analyses were conducted using STATA version 14. Variables with p-value < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Among 270 pediatric cancer patients aged 2-17 years, 27.4% (n = 74) were wasted. Children aged 5 years and older had a 20% higher prevalence of wasting (aPR = 1.2; p = 0.002). Cancers near the gastrointestinal tract were associated with a 10% greater prevalence of wasting (aPR = 1.1; p = 0.028). Wasting was lower by 20% among children whose caregivers had tertiary education (aPR = 0.8; p = 0.002), whereas treatment effects increased wasting prevalence by 10% (aPR = 1.1; p = 0.013). CONCLUSION: Wasting is a prevalent form of malnutrition among pediatric cancer patients requiring the integration of nutritional services to address the nutritional needs of children, especially those aged greater than 5 years, those with cancers along the gastro-intestinal tract and those experiencing treatment effects. Additionally, health and nutrition education programs tailored to the caregiver's level of education are needed.

Citer ce document

Accès au document

Texte intégral en lecture en ligne, réservé aux abonnés SPHAERO et aux membres de l'institution. Se connecter

Auteur(s)

Statistiques

Consultations : 1

Téléchargements : 0