Effectiveness of Overshadowing by Flavored Candies in Management of Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting in Children with Leukemia: A Randomized Trial

Background: Nausea and vomiting are among the most common side effects of chemotherapy, and despite using pharmaceutical treatments, no desired outcome has yet been achieved in this regard. Therefore, using non-pharmacological techniques has been recommended. Objectives: The present study examined the effect of overshadowing on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in children with leukemia. Methods: In this clinical trial study, participants were 70 children aged 3 - 18 years admitted to the Oncology Department of Mofid hospital in Tehran, Iran, and were randomly assigned to two intervention and control groups. A flavored candy was given to each child in the intervention group 10 minutes before the start of chemotherapy. This process was repeated during three rounds of chemotherapy. The severity of nausea was measured with the Baxter Animated Retching Faces Scale. The frequency of vomiting was measured using a checklist in both groups 10 minutes before and immediately after chemotherapy. The data were analyzed with SPSS software (version 25). Results: The data revealed no statistically significant difference in the severity of nausea in the first and second chemotherapy rounds between the intervention and control groups (P > 0.05). However, there was a significant difference in the third chemotherapy round between the two groups (P < 0.05). The severity of nausea and frequency of vomiting in three chemotherapy rounds was not significant (P > 0.05). Conclusions: The results indicated that overshadowing was not effective in reducing the severity of nausea and frequency of vomiting. Further studies are needed to determine the potential effects of this technique on gastrointestinal symptoms, including nausea and vomiting.