International Workshop Enhances Nutrition Care for African Children with Cancer

International Initiative for Pediatrics and Nutrition IIPAN Regional Trning

The workshop served as a platform for forty nutritionists to gn and share policy and health projects med at enhancing nutritional care for children undergoing cancer treatment across the African region.

February 5th, 2023

In collaboration with Columbia University’s International Initiative for Pediatrics and Nutrition IIPAN, which operates from the Center for Comprehensive Wellness, a week-long trning session was conducted from January 13th to 17th, 2023. The IIPAN team led by Dr. Elena Ladas, an Associate Professor of Nutrition in Pediatrics, Epidemiology, and Nutrition at Columbia University Medical Center, along with Judy Schoeman, Chief Dietitian at Steve Biko Academic Hospital Pretoria, South Africa; Dr. Gulsen Saleh from the same institution; Dr. Karina Viani, and Dr. Elena Ladas herself were among those contributing to this insightful event.

Dr. Ladas opened proceedings by emphasizing that cancer has a significant impact on nutritional status and dietary needs of children during their treatment period, necessitating tlored nutrition interventions. The subsequent presentations addressed various critical areas including guidelines for nutritional care of pediatric cancer patients, screening methods, anthropometric assessments, biochemical and clinical evaluations, components of a healthy diet, assessment techniques like the 24-hour recall, case studies, dietary evaluation of food groupsfood diversity, intervention strategies, homemade feeds, criteria for nutrition intervention, types and indications of enteral formulas, setting up a nutrition program, and conducting nutritional reviews and evaluations.

The interactive workshop included visits to Kenyatta Hospital for practical clinical evaluations where data was collected from children battling cancer. The insights gned during this hands-on experience were later analyzed at the Columbia Global Center in Nrobi. This visit enabled nutritionists to identify current interventions for pediatric cancer patients in Kenya, highlighting successes as well as lessons learned from flures.

The workshop concluded with a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration. Dr. Schoeman highlighted that dealing with child cancer requires teamwork beyond pediatric oncologists, including pediatric registrars, surgeons, radiation oncologists, orthopedic neuro; urologists, gynecologists, nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech therapists, counselors, radiographers, and the family.

The series of presentations also covered topics such as:

• Guidelines for Nutritional Care of Children with Cancer

• Nutrition Screening

• Anthropometrics nutritional assessment

• Biochemical Clinical evaluation in nutrition assessment

• Components of a healthy diet and dietary benchmarks including 24-hour recall procedures.

• Dietary evaluation of food groupsfood diversity.

• Criteria for nutrition intervention monitoring

• Types and indications of enteral formulas and setting up a nutrition program.

This intensive trning not only enhanced the knowledge and skills of participants on providing effective nutritional care for pediatric cancer patients but also fostered collaborative relationships among healthcare professionals who play critical roles in their treatment journey.

The Columbia Global Centers Nrobi team exts gratitude to all those who contributed their expertise, knowledge and time to make this workshop a success. We look forward to furthering our partnership with IIPAN and other stakeholders in enhancing the nutritional care for pediatric cancer patients across Africa.

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Translation:

International Initiative for Pediatrics and Nutrition IIPAN Regional Trning

This event served as an opportunity for forty nutritionists from across Africa to gn knowledge, share best practices and develop strategies med at improving nutritional support for children undergoing cancer treatment.

January 16th, 2023

Columbia University's International Initiative for Pediatrics and Nutrition IIPAN hosted a week-long trning session between January 13th to 17th, 2023. Leading this initiative was Dr. Elena Ladas, an Associate Professor at Columbia University Medical Center with expertise in nutrition, along with Judy Schoeman from Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria, South Africa and other colleagues.

Dr. Ladas began the program by emphasizing that cancer treatment can have a substantial impact on children's nutritional status and dietary requirements, underscoring the necessity for tlored interventions to cater to their specific needs. This was followed by presentations covering areas such as guidelines for pediatric cancer nutrition care, screening methodologies, assessment techniques including anthropometrics, biochemical evaluations, clinical assessments, healthy diet components, dietary evaluation methods like 24-hour recall procedures, case studies, food groupfood diversity analysis, nutritional intervention strategies, homemade feeding practices, criteria for monitoring nutrition, types of enteral formulas and establishing a nutrition program.

An interactive component included visits to Kenyatta Hospital where data was collected from children with cancer. This hands-on experience allowed participants to explore current interventions in Kenya, identifying successes as well as learning valuable lessons from potential flures.

Dr. Schoeman further highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, explning that addressing pediatric cancer requires a team effort beyond just oncologists including pediatric registrars, surgeons, radiation specialists, orthopedists, urologists, gynecologists, nurses and other professionals involved in treatment such as occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech therapists, counselors, radiographers, plus family involvement.

Additional presentations covered:

• Guidelines for providing nutrition care to children with cancer

• Screening methods for nutritional assessment

• Techniques for assessing nutritional status through anthropometrics

• Biochemical evaluations in the context of clinical and biochemical assessments

• The importance and components of a healthy diet along with dietary benchmarks using 24-hour recall procedures.

• Analysis of food groupsfood diversity in terms of diet evaluation.

• Establishing criteria to monitor nutrition intervention, types of enteral formulas suitable for specific indications and setting up an efficient nutrition program.

This intensive trning enhanced the capabilities of participants by equipping them with knowledge on providing effective nutritional support to children undergoing cancer treatment. It also fostered connections among healthcare professionals who play a crucial role in this process.

The Columbia Global Centers team in Nrobi is grateful to everyone involved for sharing their expertise, knowledge and time during these sessions. We are committed to strengthening our partnership with IIPAN and other stakeholders towards improving nutritional care for pediatric cancer patients across the continent.

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