Cancer research survey calls for participants in Tipperary
A cancer research project is calling for participants to take part in its survey. This survey aims to help shape the way in which cancer support centres engage with those who may need to use their services.
The research is being led by UCD postgraduate psychology student, Niall Kennedy, and Professor Suzanne Guerin, who is an associate professor in research design and analysis and head of school at the UCD School of Psychology.
Their research programme, which is being conducted on behalf of the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP), is looking for people who have been diagnosed with cancer to take part in an anonymous survey to aid their research. Participants must be over the age of 18.
“We are focusing on people who have or have had a diagnosis of cancer. It can be any length of time since they had that diagnosis, they might be on treatment, they might not be on treatment, but it is on the person who has had that personal experience,
“It will directly inform the work that NCCP and these centres are doing to provide supports to people affected by cancer,” said Professor Suzanne Guerin.
Aim Of The Research
The pair have been working on this research project since last September with the intention of getting a better understanding as to why and why not people decide to engage with cancer support services in various communities.
“We know how many people have a diagnosis of cancer or who have had a diagnosis of cancer in Ireland and its not to say they should be, but we are interested to know why they choose not to engage with these centres,
“It could be a range of things, it could be that they have great supports around them in their family, they could have strong connections with people who have experienced cancer in their community, or it may be they don’t know about the service or don’t know what to expect. Whatever the reason for not doing it is, it is really influential in terms of understanding whether the centres are reaching the people they want to,” said Professor Guerin.
This research hopes to help cancer support services to modify their practices so that they can better reach people who may benefit from their support.“They can make changes or influence the delivery of their services so that more people are aware of them or feel welcome,” added Niall Kennedy.
How Can People Participate
If people would like to take part in the survey, people can search for it online under https://tinyurl.com/UCDCommunityCancerStudy. “Our QR codes are also on posters that we have done up and you will be able to see them soon enough around the Nenagh area,” explained Niall Kennedy.
The survey is currently being targeted at certain areas in Ireland such as in Tipperary, Westmeath and in Dublin city, but it is also open to anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer regardless of where they are located.“Anyone from any corner of the country is absolutely welcome to have a look at the survey and to make a decision about taking part,” commented Professor Guerin.
How Can People Get Involved
Both Niall and Professor Guerin are hoping that people will spread the word about the survey in their communities to help them to reach as many people as possible.
“People can either get involved personally or they can spread the word about the survey,” said Professor Guerin. The pair also highlighted their hope that people who are involved with a group or club might be interested in spreading the word and getting in touch with Niall, who is also open to speaking to groups about their research project.
If people feel they have further questions about the study, and would like to get in touch, then they can contact Niall Kennedy by email: niall.kennedy5@ucdconnect.ie.