Nutrition And Its Effects On Health Essay Example

Nutrition is the cornerstone of good health and proper development in young children, especially in those recently diagnosed with cancer. The treatments oncology patients undergo are rigorous and cause side effects leading to poor appetite, nausea, vomiting, and altered metabolism. The incidence of malnutrition in oncology patients ranges from 6-50% (Cancer in Children and Adolescents). On top of the physiological stress, parental surveys revealed young patients found the hospital food to be unattractive and unappetizing (Arpaci, Toruner, & Altay, 2018). The combination of the above factors negatively impacts the patient’s nutrition status, and they often experience extreme weight fluctuations within the first few months of treatment.  

Most clinicians fail to recognize the risk of malnutrition and current nutrition status at diagnosis and during the first few months of treatment. The failure to promptly recognize and address nutritional needs delays the delivery of vital interventions. Several studies show malnutrition significantly impacts survival and infection rates. According to WHO, approximately 1,800 children die of cancer each year in the United States (Cancer in Children and Adolescents). In a study with 126 pediatric cancer patients between three and eighteen years of age, at diagnosis 4.7% were malnourished and 28.6% were at a high risk of becoming malnourished (Triarico et al., 2019).  The longevity of treatment and quantity of hospital visits increased by nearly 3% in those 42 patients whose nutrition status raised concern at diagnosis (Triarico et al., 2019).  

The statistics reveal there is a rising need for the entire care team to recognize and consider nourishment in children affected by cancer so proper education can be delivered. This is significant to nursing practice because nurses are the primary educators for patient information regarding their plan of care. The biggest concern focuses on children ages two through eight, because they are incapable of total self-care, and unable to make appropriate food choices. The aim of this paper is to explore the effects of parental involvement on preventing extreme weight fluctuations caused by chemotherapy treatment in pediatric oncology patients.