Taste alteration, Food Habits and Nutritional Status of Childhood Cancer Survivors

Aim: This study was carried out to examine the taste alteration, food habits, and nutritional status of childhood cancer survivors. Materials and Methods: The research is descriptive and cross-sectional. The study sample was formed by children between the ages of 8 and 18 who ended cancer treatment between March 2021 and 2022, followed by the pediatric hematology and oncology outpatient clinic of a University Medical Faculty Oncology Hospital. Child Introduction Form, Taste Alteration Scale for Children with Cancer Receiving Chemotherapy (TAS-CRC), Mediterranean Diet Quality Index (MDQI), and Subjective Total Taste Acuity Scale (STTA) were used to collect data. Results: It was determined that 80.4% of children had a Body Mass Index (BMI) score between -2 and +2 (normal), 9.8% were above ≥+2 (obese) and 7.6% were under ≤-2 (malnutrition). Analysis showed that 18.5% of the children had a very low nutrition quality (≤3), while nutrition quality was moderate in 48.9% (4-7) and good in 32.6% (≥8). Conclusion: It was found that there was no statistically significant difference between the weight Z score of the children, the current height Z score and the BMI Z score, and the average score TAS-CRC.