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Evidence suggests that making healthier food choices is beneficial for people with MS and making dietary changes can give them a sense of control over their disease. People with MS often turn to the internet for information about diet, and are faced with conflicting information from the “special diets” promoted for MS. They want clear information on what dietary changes to make, and how to make healthy food choices.
To meet this need, Mrs Rebecca Russell will develop and run an online nutrition education program for people with MS, using a variety of ways to present the information. The free six-week program will be co-designed with people with MS and MS health professionals, and will provide information on diet and MS. This includes how diet might affect MS symptoms, gut health, foods to eat and avoid, meal-planning, dietary supplements, understanding scientific research, current and emerging research in diet and MS, and “special diets” promoted or sold for MS. The team expects that completing the program will help people with MS make healthier food choices and improve their quality of life. They will assess the suitability of the content, format, and duration of the program as the program is progressing.
The findings will be used to improve the program and make it available in the long-term to people with MS across Australia, in the form of a larger trial to test how effective it is.
Mrs Russell found that an online nutrition education program for people with MS consisting of five education modules along with a ‘program welcome’ and a ‘program summary’ conducted over nine weeks is feasible.
There was sufficient demand to meet recruitment targets to detect a meaningful change in diet quality sub-scores (as measured by the Diet Habits Questionnaire), and it was practical to request a letter from a neurologist or other health provider as proof of MS diagnosis.
The online nutrition education program was practical for people with MS to complete, with 56% of participants completing the entire program (exceeding the anticipated 40% completion), and the program was rated as acceptable as measured by interest/enjoyment and value/usefulness based on the post-intervention questionnaire.
Limited effectiveness testing revealed that the online nutrition education program significantly improved diet quality for cereals and fruit and vegetables sub-scores, nutrition literacy, and food literacy in people who completed any of the program.
Mrs Russell has published part of this research in a scientific journal and has a second publication in preparation.
It is expected that completion of the program will help people with MS make healthier food choices by improving their food and nutrition literacy and improve their overall diet quality.
Updated: 31 March 2023
Updated: 16 November, 2021
Laboratory research that investigates scientific theories behind the possible causes, disease progression, ways to diagnose and better treat MS.
Research that builds on fundamental scientific research to develop new therapies, medical procedures or diagnostics and advances it closer to the clinic.
Clinical research is the culmination of fundamental and translational research turning those research discoveries into treatments and interventions for people with MS.
$24,703
1 year
