Objectives This study was aimed to develop criteria for assessing the dietary habit of cancer survivors through patient reported outcome based on Sasang constitutional symptomatology.
Methods The items for the assessment were selected through researchers’ meetings and first round of expert group consultation, which consisted of two clinical nutritionists. Afterward, second round of expert group consultation composed of 27 doctors of Korean medicine was conducted to evaluate the importance and weighting of the items.
Results After the first round of expert group consultation, 20 items were settled for each constitution. Also, based on the responses by second round of expert group consultation, among which 19 people replied, the importance and weighting of the items were calculated. In terms of Soeumin, ‘I have a meal on regular time more than 5 days a week.’ (6.17%) was regarded as the most important among the 20 items. For Soyangin, ‘I eat foods that produce heat, such as ginseng, red ginseng, ginger, or honey.’ (5.78%) was ranked highest among the 20 items. Regarding Taeeumin, ‘I take a late-night snack more than twice a week.’ (6.05%) was considered as the most crucial among the 20 items. Meanwhile, for Taeyangin, the highest-weighted item was ‘I take in vegetables such as lettuce, cabbage, or konjac for every meal.’ (5.58%).
Conclusions This study proposed a questionnaire to evaluate the dietary habits of cancer survivors focusing on Sasang constitution and clinical nutrition through two times of professional consultation. Further clinical researches for validation is needed.