Yılmaz Sakine, Ordu Yadigar, Hançer Elif
Faculty of Health Science, Department of Midwifery, Karatekin University, Cankiri, Turkey.
Faculty of Nursing, Department of Nursing, Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya, Turkey.
Support Care Cancer. 2025 Aug 30;33(9):823. doi: 10.1007/s00520-025-09876-x.
Cancer patients must develop food literacy to successfully adapt to dietary changes and enhance their health management. This study is aimed at assessing the perceived food literacy of women undergoing chemotherapy for gynecologic cancer.
This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted with 136 gynecologic cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy at the Chemotherapy Unit of the Department of Gynecologic Oncology Surgery in a university hospital in Turkey. Data were collected using the "Participant Information Form" and the "Perceived Food Literacy Scale." Statistical analysis was performed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Mann-Whitney U test.
The mean age of the participants was 53.92 ± 13.04 years, with 49.3% diagnosed with endometrial cancer and 38.2% with ovarian cancer. The average number of chemotherapy cycles was 2.86 ± 1.87. The median total score for perceived food literacy was 104.00 (IQR = 20.00), indicating a high level of food literacy. Women with an income exceeding their expenses, those who consumed 1-2 daily snacks, those who had received nutrition education, and those with prior knowledge of food literacy had notably higher median perceived food literacy scores.
This study found that women with gynecologic cancer receiving chemotherapy had a high level of food literacy.
Food literacy is necessary for living well beyond individual and physical health. Cancer patients must acquire food literacy to implement effective dietary modifications and enhance their health management. Healthcare professionals should emphasize the nutritional practices of women with gynecologic cancer throughout the entire chemotherapy process, and oncology nurses should design patients' nutrition plans based on food literacy.
癌症患者必须培养食物素养，以成功适应饮食变化并加强健康管理。本研究旨在评估接受妇科癌症化疗的女性的感知食物素养。
本描述性横断面研究对土耳其一所大学医院妇科肿瘤外科化疗科的136名接受化疗的妇科癌症患者进行。使用“参与者信息表”和“感知食物素养量表”收集数据。采用柯尔莫哥洛夫-斯米尔诺夫检验、克鲁斯卡尔-沃利斯检验和曼-惠特尼U检验进行统计分析。
参与者的平均年龄为53.92±13.04岁，49.3%被诊断为子宫内膜癌，38.2%为卵巢癌。化疗周期的平均数为2.86±1.87。感知食物素养的中位数总分是104.00（四分位距=20.00），表明食物素养水平较高。收入超过支出的女性、每天食用1-2份零食的女性、接受过营养教育的女性以及具有食物素养先验知识的女性，其感知食物素养的中位数得分显著更高。
本研究发现，接受化疗的妇科癌症女性具有较高的食物素养水平。
食物素养对于超越个人和身体健康的良好生活至关重要。癌症患者必须掌握食物素养，以实施有效的饮食调整并加强健康管理。医疗保健专业人员应在整个化疗过程中强调妇科癌症女性的营养实践，肿瘤学护士应根据食物素养为患者制定营养计划。
