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Research Projects

Niamh O'Callaghan

Current Research Masters Student

The Nutrition Related Life of Adult Cancer Survivors Living on the Island of Ireland

Research Project Summary:

In Ireland, due to advancements in treatment the number of cancer survivors is growing rapidly. This has resulted in survivorship care becoming a focus for healthcare planning. The need to recognize the individual and distinct needs of the growing number of cancer survivors has been highlighted by the government through the development of a National Cancer Strategy 2017-2026. A major issue for the strategy is that in Ireland there is limited data available on the nutritional needs, persistence of treatment related side effects, and current dietary intake of survivors. This research project aims to address this deficit in information by evaluating the current nutrition practices and relationship with food and nutrition of cancer survivors across the Island of Ireland by a mixed-methods research approach (quantitative and qualitative data).

Bio: Niamh O’Callaghan graduated with a first class honors degree in Human Nutrition and is now an Irish Research Council Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholar studying at the Institute of Technology Sligo. Niamh’s current research explores the nutrition related life of Irish cancer survivors. Her research interests include the role of nutrition in the prevention and management of cancer, nutrition in cancer survivorship and public health.

Papers

Nutrition Practices among Adult Cancer Survivors Living on the Island of Ireland: A Cross-Sectional Study https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14040767

Research outputs:

USI-IRC Why Research Matters Video Competition ‘Most Creative’ prize – https://t.co/JHegCS38qP?amp=1

Twitter Account sharing informative videos and infographics – @NUTRICO4

Presentations

  1. Irish Association for Cancer Research (IACR) Virtual Conference 2021 (24th-26th March 2021) – Oral Presentation “An investigation into Dietary Quality, food Choices and Satisfaction with Food-Related Life in Oncology Survivorship across Ireland
  2. Irish Nutrition & Dietetic Institute (INDI) Fresenius Kabi Research Symposium (4th March 2021) – Poster Presentation “To Evaluate the Sources of Nutrition Information, Dietary Changes and Supplement Use in Cancer Survivors in Ireland”
  3. The Nutrition Society – Irish Section Conference 2021: Nutrition, health and ageing – translating science into practice (22-24th June 2021- Poster Presentation “An exploration into the relationship Irish cancer survivors’ have with nutrition post cancer treatment: a qualitative study”
  4. European Federation of the Associations of Dietitians (EFAD) Virtual Congress 2021 (21-26th October 2021) – Poster Presentation “Vitamin and mineral supplement use among cancer survivors on the Island of Ireland”
  5. Winter Conference 2021- Obesity and The Brain (7-8th December 2021) – Poster Presentation – “The impact of COVID-19 on the nutrition-related life of Irish cancer survivors”
  6. The International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA) Annual Meeting (18-21st 2022) Phoenix, USA – Oral Presentation “The meaning of nutrition for Irish cancer survivors: A photo voice study”