A Latent Class Analysis of Nutrition Impact Symptoms in Cancer Survivors

Those with a cancer diagnosis report experiencing a wide range of nutrition impact symptoms with prevalence varying by study, group and cancer type. We aimed to identify groups of cancer survivors with specific patterns of nutrition impact symptoms. Two hundred and twenty-nine individuals attending oncology day ward and outpatient clinics completed a series of questionnaires and physical measurements. A latent class analysis was performed to identify subgroups based on 13 nutrition impact symptoms taken from the Patient Generated Subjective Global Assessment Short Form. The identified classes were subsequently compared using analysis of variance and chi-square tests, by sociodemographic, clinical and nutritional variables as well as by Global Health Status (GHS) and five functioning scales determined using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30). Three latent subtypes were identified: (1) Fatigue (n=58, 28%); (2) Low Symptom Burden (n=146, 64%) and (3) High Symptom Burden (n=25, 11%). Those in the High Symptom Burden group were more likely to be female, currently receiving any form of treatment, diagnosed ≥two years and have consumed less food than usual in the last month compared to those in the Low Symptom Burden group. Those in the Fatigue group were more likely were less likely to have reported their food intake to be unchanged and more likely to be diagnosed ≥two years than those in the Low Symptom Burden group. The EORTC-QLQ-C30 functioning and GHS scores were all significantly different between the three nutrition impact symptoms classes (p<0.001). This is the first study to examine heterogeneity of nutrition impact symptoms in Irish Cancer Survivors. The findings of this work will inform and allow for more individualised nutrition care

A Latent Class Analysis of Nutrition Impact Symptoms in Cancer Survivors

Purpose: Those with a cancer diagnosis report experiencing a wide range of nutrition impact symptoms with prevalence varying by study, group and cancer type. We aimed to identify groups of cancer survivors with specific patterns of nutrition impact symptoms.Methods: 229 individuals attending oncology day ward and outpatient clinics completed a series of questionnaires and physical measurements. A latent class analysis was performed to identify subgroups based on 13 nutrition impact symptoms taken from the Patient Generated Subjective Global Assessment Short Form. The identified classes were subsequently compared using analysis of variance and chi-square tests, by sociodemographic, clinical and nutritional variables as well as by Global health status (GHS) and five functioning scales determined using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30). Results: Three latent subtypes were identified: (1) Fatigue (n=58, 28%); (2) Low Symptom Burden (n=146, 64%) and (3) High Symptom Burden (n=25, 11%). Those in the High Symptom Burden group were more likely to be female, currently receiving any form of treatment and have consumed less food than usual in the last month compared to those in the Low Symptom Burden group. Those in the Fatigue group were more likely were more likely to have reported consuming less food in the previous month and less likely to have reported their food intake to be unchanged than those in the Low Symptom Burden group. Those who received their diagnosis two years+ ago were most likely to be classed in the Fatigue group. The EORTC-QLQ-C30 functioning and GHS scores were all significantly different between the three nutrition impact symptoms classes (p&lt;0.001)Conclusion: This is the first study to examine heterogeneity of nutrition impact symptoms in Irish Cancer Survivors. The findings of this work will inform and allow for more individualised nutrition care.<br/

Applying the thresholds for clinical importance for fourteen key domains of the EORTC QLQ-C30: A Latent Class Analysis of Cancer Survivors.

A person’s quality of life is impacted from the beginning of their oncology experience. One of the most common tools to measure quality of life is the EORTC QLQ-C30. The absolute scores it produces can be difficult to interpret in the clinical setting, and thresholds to help identify those who require intervention have recently been introduced. The aim of this research was to identify heterogeneity of these thresholds for clinical importance using latent class analysis in cancer survivors (those undergoing and those who have completed treatment) attending a hospital in the northwest of Ireland. We identified 3 distinct classes of cancer survivors, using Mplus 6.11: high clinical impact (13.9%), compromised physical function (40.3%) and low clinical impact (45.9%). The compromised physical function group were slightly more likely to be older (OR = 1.042, p < .05, CI = 1.000–1.086), not employed (OR = 8.347, p < .01, CI = 2.092–33.305), have lower PG-SGA scores (OR = .826, p < .001, CI = .755–.904), and not have been diagnosed in the last 2 years (OR = .325, p < .05, CI = .114–.923) compared to the high clinical impact group. The low clinical impact group were more likely to be female (OR = 3.288, p < .05, CI = 1.281–1.073), not employed (OR = 10.129, p < .01, CI = 2.572–39.882), have a lower BMI (OR = .921, p < .05, CI = .853–.994), and lower PG-SGA scores (OR = .656, p < .001, CI = .573–.750) than the high clinical impact group. Functional and symptom issues impact on quality of life, and therefore, identifying those of clinical importance is crucial for developing supportive care strategies

A Latent Profile Analysis of Health-related Quality of Life Domains in Cancer Survivors

PurposeThe aim of this research was to examine heterogeneity of Health-related Quality of Life (HrQOL) in Cancer Survivors (both undergoing and completed treatment) using latent profile analysis and to determine whether these groups differed by demographic and health characteristics.MethodsParticipants(n=229) recruited through an oncology day ward and outpatient department in a local hospital, completed height, weight and handgrip measures as well as the validated patient generated subjective global assessment and EORTC-QLQ-C30 questionnaires. A latent profile analysis was performed to identify subgroups based on HrQOL domain scores. Multinominal Logistic Regression was conducted to determine the relationship between these subgroups and demographic and health characteristics. ResultsThree latent subtypes were identified: (1)high quality of life(n=122, 52.8%); (2)compromised quality of life(n=79, 34.2%) and (3)low quality of life(n=30, 12.99%). All subtypes scored lower for functioning scales (with the exception of the higher quality of life group for physical, role and emotional functioning) and higher for symptom scales then the reference norm population. There were large clinically meaningful differences between the high quality of life group and the low quality of life group for all HrQOL scales. Those in the low quality of life group were slightly younger than those in the high quality of life group(OR = 0.956, p &lt; .05, CI = 0.917– 0.998). Workers were &gt;7 times more likely to be in low quality of life than the high quality of life group. Compared to the high quality of life group, the odds of belonging to the compromised quality of life group decreased significantly by having higher handgrip strength (OR = .955, p &lt; .05, CI = .924 - .988). The odds of belonging to the low quality of life group increased significantly for those with higher number of nutrition impact symptoms (NIS) (OR = 1.375, p &lt; .05, CI = 1.004 – 1.883).ConclusionsThis is the first study to examine heterogeneity of HrQOL using latent profile analysis in Irish Cancer Survivors. In clinical practice understanding how aspects of HrQOL group together may allow clinicians to better understand and treat cancer survivors, informing more individualised nutrition care.<br/

Quantifying human capital accumulation in rural Ireland in the nineteenth century

Geary and Stark find that Ireland´s Post-Famine per capita GDP converged with British levels, and that this convergence was due to TFP growth rather than mass emigration. We devise new long-run measurements of human capital accumulation in Ireland in order to facilitate an assessment of sources of this TFP growth, including the relative contribution of men and women. We do so by exploiting the frequency at which age data heap at round ages, a measure that has been widely interpreted as an indicator of a population´s basic numeracy skills. Because Földvári, Van Leeuwen and Van Leeuwen-Li find that gender-specific trends in this measure derived from census returns are biased by who is reporting and recording the age information, we correct any computed numeracy trends using data from prison and workhouse registers, sources in which women self-reported their age. We find that rural Irish women born early in the nineteenth century had substantially lower levels of human capital than uncorrected census data would otherwise suggest. Our results are large in magnitude and economically significant. The speed at which women converged is consistent with Geary and Stark´s interpretation of Irish economic history; Ireland likely graduated to Europe´s club of advanced economies thanks in part to rapid advances in female human capital

The food consumption habits of 145 Iowa farm families

The food consumption habits of 145 Iowa farm families were studied from records of expenditures for food and of food produced by farms during one year. Forty-three families in the central part of the state near Ames, 49 families in the southwestern part near Corning, and 53 families near Oelwein in the northeastern part of the state cooperated in the study. The nutritive values of the respective diets were calculated for the families in the Ames group and for the average of the families in each of the other two groups. The energy values of these diets and their content of protein, calcium, phosphorus and iron were calculated and contrasted with the standard allowances” on a per man per day basis