Turkish reliability and validity of the nutrition screening tool for childhood cancer (SCAN)

Every country in the world is affected by one or more forms of malnutrition. Fighting malnutrition is one of the biggest global health challenges. In children with cancer, malnutrition can significantly affect outcomes such as decreased treatment tolerance, increased susceptibility to infections, and decreased survival. The SCAN was developed as a quick and simple test to identify childhood cancer patients at risk of malnutrition. In this study, SCAN has been adapted to Turkish language and culture. The language validity of the Turkish version of the scale was ensured by the translation-back translation method. After the scale was translated into Turkish and intercultural adaptation was completed, it was administered to 143 children with cancer. The Screening Tool for Childhood Cancer (SCAN) scale was applied together with the STRONGKids screening scale used in Turkey, and a positive correlation was found between the two scales (P<0.005). According to the data obtained from SCAN and STRONGKids tools, the effects of body mass index, diagnosis, duration of diagnosis and surgery history on the development of malnutrition were investigated. A significant correlation was found between SCAN and STRONGKids score classification and nutritional assessment grouping according to anthropometric measurements (p<0.005). Cronbach's alpha internal consistency coefficient was used to evaluate the reliability of the Turkish version of the scale. As a result of the statistical analyzes performed, the reliability of the scale is at an 'acceptable' level and it is recommended to re-study with a larger sample. Keywords: Malnutrition, SCAN, STRONGKids, Children with cancer