Social Inequalities in the Participation and Activity in Children and Adolescents With Leukemia, Brain Tumors, and Sarcomas
Social Inequalities in the Participation and Activity in Children and Adolescents With Leukemia, Brain Tumors, and Sarcomas
Aim of this study is to investigate the influence of social factors on participation and activity among children and adolescents aged 10-18 years with leukemia, brain tumors, and sarcomas. Furthermore personal and treatment-related factors and their impact on participation will be explored
Background: About 2000 children and adolescents under the age of 18 develop cancer each year in Germany. Because of more differentiated diagnostics and standardized treatment protocols, a high survival rate can be reached for many types of the disease. Nevertheless, patients face a number of long-term effects related to the treatment. As a result, physical and psychological consequences have increasingly become the focus of research in recent years. Social dimensions of health have rarely been investigated in pediatric oncology so far. Yet, there are no robust results that allow an estimation of whether and to what extent the disease and treatment impair the participation of children and adolescents and which factors mediate this effect. Social participation is of great importance especially because interactions with peers and experiences in different areas of life are essential for the development of children and adolescents.
Methods: Data are collected in a longitudinal, prospective, observational multicenter study. For this purpose, all patients and their parents who are being treated for cancer in one of the participating clinics throughout Germany will be interviewed within the first month after diagnosis (t1), after completion of intensive treatment (t2) and half a year after the end of intensive treatment (t3) using standardized questionnaires. Analysis will be done by descriptive and multivariate methods.
Recruitment: Patients will be consecutively recruited in one of the participating clinics throughout Germany.
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria: