Parents' perception of their child's food intake after the start of chemotherapy

Adequate nutrition is an important part of supportive therapy for the pediatric cancer patient. The aim of this study was to assess parents' perceptions of their child's eating pattern after onset of chemotherapy and the strategies they used to cope when eating problems arose. A semistructured interview was performed with parents of 11 consecutively admitted children. The results showed that parents have a realistic perception of their child's food intake and that they are able to recognize reasons for poor food intake that may be unknown to the staff. The individual responses of the parents and the mechanisms of coping were unique for each individual. The responsibility of getting the child to eat was distressing for many parents. The study indicates that parents need continuous support to serve an optimal role in the nutritional care of their child.