Nutritional Status at Diagnosis in Children With Cancer I. An Assessment by Dietary Recall-Compared With Body Mass Index and Body Composition Measured by Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry

The nutritional status of children with cancer is clinically important. In an effort to separate the influences of disease and treatment, we studied children at the time of diagnosis. A total of 99 children underwent assessment by 24 hours dietary recall, measurement of body mass index (BMI), and analysis of body composition by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA scan). The group averages for calorie intake and BMI were close to the median population norms but ranged widely among individuals. As a group the study participants exceeded the Dietary Reference Intake for protein. Nine children (9%) had a BMI < fifth percentile. There were statistically significant but at best moderate correlations between dietary intake and body composition by DXA scan. Twenty-four hours dietary recall may not provide accurate assessment of nutritional status in individual children with cancer at diagnosis. However, DXA scans cannot be undertaken in a timely fashion on all children at this point. Alternative methods of assessment are being explored.