Quality of life and food consumption of the cancer patients

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the psychometric qualities of instruments of Quality of Life (QOL) and food intake, specifically for cancer patients and evaluate the contribution of food consumption, social and demographic variables on QOL of these patients. Methods: Participants 1000 adults patients treated in cancer therapy in Barretos Cancer Hospital (São Paulo/Brazil), March 2012 to September 2013. Will be collected social and demographic information, quality of life, dietary intake, anthropometric measures (height and weight) and information about the disease. Will be used questionnaires Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - General (FACT-G), the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer - Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC / QLQ C-30) and a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). The reliability of the instruments will be estimated by Cronbach's coefficient alpha (a) and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (r). We are estimated face validity, content and construct. For the latter will be used to estimate the factorial validity, convergent, discriminant, concurrent and divergent. Confirmatory factor analysis will be conducted using the c2/df, CFI, GFI and RMSEA. The convergent validity is estimated by the average variance extracted (AVE) and the composite reliability (CR). The discriminant validity, concurrent and divergent will be evaluated using correlational analysis. The relationship between the variables of interest will be studied by structural equation modeling where QOL is the central construct. (AU)