Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has been referred to as a “pre-obese state”, with many studies describing the onset of obesity during treatment. Weight gain typically begins within the first month of ALL diagnosis, stabilizes, and then resumes at the beginning of maintenance and continues into survivorship. Children and adolescents with healthy weight at diagnosis are the most vulnerable to weight gain; up to 70% develop overweight/obesity (OW/OB) by the end of treatment (EOT). Weight gain during treatment is one of the most consistently reported risk factors for weight gain in survivorship and is associated with an increased odds of being OW/OB 5-years post-EOT. Significant clinical ramifications are associated with being OW/OB. A meta-analysis led by the Children’s Oncology Group nutrition committee found that OW/OB is associated with a 31% increased risk of mortality in ALL.
The objective of the study team is to prevent the development of OW/OB during maintenance chemotherapy using a six-month virtually delivered dietary education intervention (PEDALL) in English and Spanish speaking families of children and adolescents undergoing treatment for ALL. Once enrolled, subjects will be randomized to PEDALL or standard of care (SOC). Subjects in the PEDALL group will receive 26 contact hours of specialized nutrition education and counseling via a virtual platform.
The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of a virtually-delivered dietary education intervention in the prevention of OW/OB compared to SOC during maintenance chemotherapy. The clinical impact of this study will improve the understanding of pre-treatment factors predictive of the efficacy of intervention to prevent unhealthy weight gain among patients treated for ALL. Study findings may lead to the allocation of limited clinical resources to individuals most susceptible to OW/OB. Information obtained from this study may also direct the refinement of counseling techniques to enhance the likelihood of success over the course of treatment for ALL and into survivorship. The long-term goal is to enhance the likelihood of success of weight maintenance during therapy thereby mitigating excess toxicities during treatment and reducing nutrition-related late-effects associated with OW/OB among survivors of childhood ALL.
Source: View full study details on ClinicalTrials.gov
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