Student Research in Nutrition and Dietetics
Find out more about the research undertaken by Nutrition and Dietetics students.
Research Papers from Student Projects, Placements etc.
Yi Jia Sim (MDiet) - with Dr Andrea Fairley and Dr Rebecca Townsend
Barriers and Facilitators of Participating in Diet and Dementia Research For South Asians Living in the United Kingdom
"I am Sim, a stage 3 student dietitian at Newcastle University. Last summer, I had the opportunity to work alongside Dr. Andrea Fairley on a project called “Diet and Dementia prevention research among British South Asians (SA)”. Throughout the project, we organised an engagement event in the West of Newcastle upon Tyne; a prominent hub for the SA community. During the event, I had fascinating round-table discussions with the attendees about their barriers and facilitators to engagement in diet and dementia-related research, as well as their knowledge around the relationship between diet and dementia. In an effort to promote healthy eating among the SA community, I have made some healthy-traditional SA dishes. For each recipe, I have also included the traffic light labelling system so that they can easily determine the nutritional value of the dish. As a student dietitian, I'm grateful for the chance to promote and educate on the importance of healthy eating and to be able to use what I've learned to benefit society."
Jacob Hamilton (MDiet) - with Dr Frances Hillier-Brown and Alice Roberts
Developing a digital intervention to promote healthy and environmentally sustainable dietary patterns among university students.
"This study used a theory-, evidence- and person-based approach to develop a tailored video-based dietary intervention. The aim was to develop a cost-effective, accessible and scalable method for promoting healthier and more sustainable dietary patterns. Over 2100 Newcastle University students were surveyed to advance our understanding of current dietary patterns and behaviour. The findings, alongside evidence from a literature review, informed the design of guiding principles and programme theory for the intervention. Mixed method theory-based behavioural analysis of survey data revealed intention, optimism and emotion as notable facilitators to sustainable healthy eating. Financial constraints and knowledge were identified as key barriers. The literature review highlighted several attributes asssociated with digital dietary intervention effectiveness including tailoring, gain-frame messaging and segmenting video content. Educational videos are being produced and participants have been recruited (n=1334) to evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of the developed intervention."
