None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Evidence suggests that making healthier food choices is beneficial for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), and making dietary changes can give people with MS 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. People with MS want clear information on what dietary changes to make, and how to make healthy food choices. To meet this need, we 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, including: 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. We expect that completing the program will help people with MS make healthier food choices and improve their nutrition knowledge and skills. We will assess the suitability of the content, format, and duration of the program.
Interventions
The intervention involves implementing a pilot study of an online nutrition education program for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The nutrition education program will be hosted on a secure online learning platform (Moodle). The program will be asynchronous, where one module will be released each week at a set time over 6 weeks, and participants will aim to complete each module within the week. The anticipated time to complete each module will be approximately one hour.
The topics to be incl
The intervention involves implementing a pilot study of an online nutrition education program for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The nutrition education program will be hosted on a secure online learning platform (Moodle). The program will be asynchronous, where one module will be released each week at a set time over 6 weeks, and participants will aim to complete each module within the week. The anticipated time to complete each module will be approximately one hour. The topics to be included in the online nutrition education program: framing the Australian Dietary Guidelines for people with MS; MS symptoms and nutrition; gut health; foods to eat and avoid; recipes; meal-planning; nutrients and supplements (vitamin D, omega-3 and omega-6 fats, antioxidants, and vitamin B6); understanding evidence-based research; current and emerging dietary research; and “special MS” diets. The online delivery includes written information, interactive graphics, and video clips featuring MS healthcare professionals and people with MS sharing their expertise and experiences. Participants will also receive a hard-copy workbook with activities related to each of the program modules, including goal-setting. The workbook has been specifically designed for this study. Participants will also be encouraged to post in the online discussion board threads. The duration of time that participants will be expected to spend on the activities and discussion board threads will be up to 15 minutes per week, at the participant's own discretion. Website analytics will be used to monitor adherence to the intervention, including duration spent on each weekly module and engagement in discussion board threads.
Sponsors
Rebecca Russell
Study design
Allocation
Non-randomised trial
Intervention model
Single group
Primary purpose
Educational / counselling / training
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
People who are aged equal to or greater than 18 years; have been diagnosed with MS; able to speak and understand English; have not previously used an online dietary education program; and have internet access.
Exclusion criteria
Requires medical nutrition therapy (tailored nutrition advice for a medical condition such as dysphagia, provided by a dietitian); have previously taken part in the focus groups or cognitive interviews that were conducted during the development stage of the nutrition program.
Outcome results
None listed