Nutritional Nursing Interventions: Effects on Knowledge, Taste Function, and Food Preferences in Women Undergoing Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer
Keywords:
Breast cancer, Food liking, Food preferences, Nutritional nursing intervention, Taste function..Abstract
Background: Chemotherapy frequently causes taste alterations, changes in food preferences, decreased appetite, and malnutrition in patients with breast cancer. Adequate nutrition is crucial during cancer treatment.
Objective: This study evaluated the effect of a nutritional nursing intervention on knowledge, taste function, and food preferences in women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer.
Methods: A quasi-experimental in pre- and post-design was used. A convenient sample of 200 chemotherapy-treated women with breast cancer were recruited from the Sohag Oncology Outpatient Clinic over a six-month period. The intervention outcomes were assessed using the following instruments: (I) women's structured interviewing questionnaire, which included two parts: (a) demographic characteristics and (b) women's medical data, (II) breast cancer women's nutritional knowledge (pre&post). (III) Chemotherapy-induced taste alteration scale (CiTAS), (IV) Dish preference questionnaire, and (V) Food liking using a 9-point hedonic scale.
Results: Following the intervention, there was a significant improvement in nutritional knowledge, taste function, food liking, and food preferences among participants.
Conclusion: Nutritional nursing interventions are effective in improving nutritional outcomes and quality of life for women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer.
Recommendations: Nutritional nursing interventions should be routinely integrated into the care of breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Future research should replicate this study with a larger and more diverse sample and explore the long-term impact of such interventions.
