This PhD project aim to investigate how digital health interventions can be designed to support Mediterranean diet adherence in cancer survivors, with a focus on real-world feasibility, engagement, and meaningful health outcomes.
Cancer survivorship is a growing global health priority. With improving treatment outcomes, there are now more people living beyond a cancer diagnosis than ever before. Yet many adults with a lived experience of cancer face significant and lasting consequences of cancer and its treatment, including excess body fat accumulation, loss of lean muscle mass, cardiotoxicity, persistent fatigue, and reduced quality of life.
The Mediterranean diet, characterised by high intake of vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, fish, nuts, and extra virgin olive oil, alongside low consumption of processed foods, added sugars, and red meat, has well-established anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. A recent systematic review by our group, included 14 randomised controlled trials demonstrates the Mediterranean diet is safe and feasible in adults with cancer during and after treatment, with demonstrated benefits for body weight, quality of life, and fatigue; particularly when delivered with energy restriction and support from a nutrition professional (McHugh et al., 2024)
Digital health technologies offer scalable, accessible, and flexible mechanisms to support dietary behaviour change. Yet their effectiveness, acceptability, and optimal design for delivering the Mediterranean-diet in adults with a lived experience of cancer is not yet well understood.
This project may draw on a range of approaches including intervention co-design methodology, dietary assessment, behavioural theory and behaviour change frameworks, usability and acceptability testing, and evaluation of clinical and patient-reported outcomes.
Supervisors
- Dr Brenton Baguley, Senior Research Fellow
- Dr Elena George, Senior Lecturer
Eligibility criteria
- Applicants must meet Deakin’s PhD entry requirements, be enrolling full time and hold an Honours degree (First Class) or an equivalent standard Master’s degree with a substantial research component (including a Thesis component). Please refer to the entry pathways to higher degrees by research for further information.
- The opportunity is open to domestic and international students.
- Applicants with experience and skills in nutrition and/or dietetics and digital health will be highly valued.
- Applicants must have experience in quantitative and/or qualitative methodology.
- Fluency in verbal and written English (evidence of English proficiency is required), highly motivated and able to work in a multidisciplinary team.
Key dates and other information
- Start date: We are looking for a suitable candidate to start as soon as possible.
- Scholarship: We will work with suitably qualified applicants to apply for scholarship funding.
- To apply: Refer to our How to apply for a research degree webpage for more information.