Nutrition plays a critical role in the health outcomes and quality of life of individuals living with and beyond cancer. Despite a desire for guidance, the majority of cancer survivors in Ireland do not have access to a dietitian throughout their cancer-care continuum. In the absence of professional support, cancer survivors rely on alternative sources of dietary advice, the most common of which is their support network (i.e. family, friends, caregivers). This increases the risk of misinformation or non-evidence-based nutritional information being provided, potentially leading to the adoption of hindering health behaviors.
The investigation of the support network close to cancer survivors as a source of dietary advice has been neglected in published literature. The proposed research aims to bridge the gap and explore the dietary and nutrition knowledge, information sources and motivation for giving advice of the support network close to cancer survivors (i.e. family, friends and caregivers). Specifically, the objectives are: (1) to explore the support network’s perceptions of their role in addressing the nutritional needs of cancer survivors; and (2) to gain a better understanding of the nutrition resources accessed by cancer survivors’ support network. The exploratory hypothesis of the current study is that there are multiple influences motivating cancer survivor’ support network to provide nutrition and dietary advice to cancer survivors. This qualitative study will utilise semi-structured interviews and data will be analysed using thematic analysis.
It is expected this work will lead to a deeper insight into perspectives and practices of support networks in providing nutrition support and guidance. The outcomes will inform the development of tailored evidence-based resources to promote the adoption of positive health practices by support network and cancer survivors.