Energy efficiency training’s effect on fatigue scores of children with a cancer diagnosis†

Abstract

Abstract Objective Fatigue is the most common complication of cancer treatment procedure during chemotherapy, leading to limited daily activities, mood swings, and ultimately impaired functional status. This study aimed to determine the effect of energy efficiency training on the fatigue scores of children with a cancer diagnosis. Methods In the present clinical trial study, 30 children with a cancer diagnosis were randomly assigned variously to the control and testing groups. The cancer-related fatigue questionnaire for children with cancer was employed as the data collection tool. The intervention of the testing group was conducted in 4 sessions of 45–60 min of face-to-face interaction, group sessions, and question-and-answer sessions. Meanwhile, routine interventions were employed in the control group. Quantitative variables were reported as mean and standard deviation, and qualitative variables as frequency and percentage. Stata 11 statistical software and a change score approach were used to analyze the data. Results The mean fatigue score of the testing group increased from 72.12 to 77.53. There was a statistically significant difference between the mean fatigue scores of the testing group before and after the intervention (P = 0.013), and the children’s fatigue score decreased. There was a statistically significant difference between the mean fatigue scores of the testing and control groups before and after the intervention (P = 0.001), and the fatigue score of the children in the testing group had decreased compared to the control group. Conclusions Energy efficiency techniques can be employed to increase energy and reduce fatigue during pediatric chemotherapy.