Diet Quality of Young Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancer

Childhood cancer survivors (CCS) face increased morbidity and mortality compared to the general population. Diet quality is an important modifiable factor influencing long-term outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the diet quality of young adult CCS and compare it with age- and gender-matched peers.

Dietary intake from 25 young adult CCS was assessed using the Automated Self-Administered Dietary Assessment Tool (ASA24) and compared with 100 age- and gender-matched healthy control participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2017-2018. Differences in Healthy Eating Index (HEI) 2020 total and component scores were analyzed using independent t-tests.

Overall, HEI scores did not differ between CCS and controls (p = 0.76). The CCS sample had a significantly higher intake of the following adequacy components: whole fruit (p = 0.03), total vegetables (p = 0.01), greens and beans (p = 0.01), total protein foods (p < 0.001), and dairy (p = 0.03). However, the CCS sample also reported a significantly lower unsaturated-to-saturated fatty acid ratio (p = 0.01) and a higher total fatty acid intake (p < 0.001).

Excessive consumption of saturated and total fatty acids may exacerbate long-term health risks; therefore, young adult CCSs may benefit from cancer-specific education and resources to encourage reducing unhealthy food consumption.