Unique Features of a Web-Based Nutrition Website for Childhood Cancer Populations: Descriptive Study (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND Children with cancer experience myriad nutritional challenges impacting their nutrition status throughout treatment and into survivorship. Growing evidence suggests that weight status at time of diagnosis impacts cancer outcomes, yet provider guidance on nutrition and diet through treatment is variable. Nutrition literacy and culinary resources may help mitigate some common nutritional problems; however, many patients may have barriers to access in-person classes. Web-based resources, such as the newly-updated The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s (MDACC) “@TheTable,” may facilitate access to nutrition and culinary education, alongside dietitian-led clinical interventions during treatment and into survivorship. OBJECTIVE We sought to define and describe the web-based cookbook “@TheTable,” its features and content, as well as analogous resources for a lay audience of pediatric cancer patients, survivors, and their families. METHODS We evaluated web-based, freely-available resources via popular online search engines (i.e., Google). These searches yielded three web-based resources analogous to “@TheTable”: the American Institute for Cancer Research’s (AICR) “Healthy Recipes,” Children’s Hospital of San Antonio’s (CHOSA) “Recipe for Life,” and Ann Ogden Gaffney and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center’s (FHCRC) “Cook for Your Life.” These sites were analyzed for the following criteria: recipe quantity; search functionality; child- or family-focus; cancer-focus; specific dietary guidance; videos or other media; miscellaneous unique features. RESULTS “Cook for Your Life” (FHCRC) and “Recipe for Life” (CHOSA) emerged as the most comparable to “@TheTable” in their cancer- and family-focus, respectively. “Healthy Recipes” (AICR) provides the least user-friendly experience, given few search options and absence of didactic videos. CONCLUSIONS The web-based cookbook “@TheTable” is unique in its offering of child- and family-focused content centered on the cancer and survivorship experience.