PhD defence
Improving information provision on nutrition and cancer - For cancer survivors and health professionals
Summary
Aim of the thesis was to improve the nutritional information provision for
cancer survivors, the general public and health professionals. Adherence
to the WCRF/AICR recommendations for cancer prevention improves the health-related quality of life of colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors. As the percentage of cancer survivors adhering to these guidelines is disappointing, I focused on the association between nutritional information provision and CRC survivors’ beliefs on nutrition and cancer, and between nutritional information provision and dietary changes in cancer survivors.
I assessed what percentage of oncology nurses perceived themselves to have insufficient knowledge to provide advice on nutrition and/or physical activity to their patients and which characteristics were associated with oncology nurses’ perception of having insufficient knowledge. To directly provide cancer survivors, the general public and health professionals with correct information about diet and cancer, we developed the website voedingenkankerinfo.nl to fight fiction and support facts about nutrition and cancer.