A QUALITATIVE review shows informal caregivers adapt feeding for children with cancer, often straining home routines and wellbeing.
Informal Caregivers and Feeding Strategies
A qualitative systematic review synthesized informal caregivers’ feeding experiences for children with cancer, focusing on ages 2–18 years. Across 28 studies from 13 countries, caregivers described adapting meal preparation and mealtime approaches in response to altered eating behaviors, including reduced appetite. When intake was poor, some informal caregivers reported prioritizing a child’s ability to eat over nutritional value, reflecting real time tradeoffs made to maintain caloric intake and reduce conflict during meals.
Mealtimes Can Shift from Support to Pressure
The review found that informal caregivers used a wide spectrum of strategies to support nutritional intake. These ranged from positive encouragement and incentivization to more coercive tactics when caregivers felt urgency about eating. These approaches were shaped by caregivers’ perceptions of risk, uncertainty about what their child could tolerate, and the day-to-day realities of treatment related symptoms and changing preferences.
Family Dynamics and Caregiver Wellbeing
Caregivers consistently framed feeding as more than a practical task. Altered eating behaviors were described as affecting caregiver wellbeing and family dynamics, including distress at the individual level and disrupted shared meals at the family level. Feeding challenges also appeared to influence relationships within the household, as routines changed and mealtimes became emotionally charged.
Unmet Needs for Dietary Guidance and Support
Caregivers reported feeding related difficulties shaped by personal understanding and external support systems. Some described challenges in understanding their child’s experiences, alongside reliance on relatives for support. A key unmet need was limited access to tailored dietary guidance. The authors concluded that health care providers should offer practical dietary advice and support to ease caregiver burden while promoting children’s nutritional status. Future research should explore feeding experiences before and after a child’s cancer diagnosis to build a more complete picture.
Reference: Kamkhoad D et al. Informal caregivers’ feeding experiences for children with cancer: a systematic review of qualitative evidence. JBI Evid Synth. 2026;doi:10.11124/JBIES-25-00221.
