Christie Ambassadors v1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring the acceptability and feasibility of a Christie Ambassadors volunteer cancer prevention scheme (Christie Ambassadors)
IRAS ID
203985
Contact name
Lorna McWilliams
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 0 days
Research summary
Background: Previous research has identified that lay or peer health workers can be useful in assisting lifestyle changes (e.g. diet, exercise, smoking cessation) and delivering health messages (e.g. it is important to attend cancer screening appointments). A lay or peer health worker is a non-professional who has been trained to deliver interventions usually relating to health in the community. There is very little research exploring why people become health workers and what they expect from the role.
Aim: This study aims to qualitatively explore the acceptability and feasibility of developing ‘Christie Ambassadors’ to carry out preventative health promotion and early symptom detection interventions in relation to cancer. Furthermore the study aims to explore the motivations for wanting to take on a lay health worker role and the training and development needs required for conducting the role.
Methods: Participants (approximately 50) will be recruited through The Christie Charity, Volunteer and Member Services, Communications, Survivorship Network and using study posters within The Christie Hospital and in public venues (e.g. community halls). Focus groups will be conducted at The Christie or at other public venues in Manchester with Christie Hospital/Christie Charity volunteers, friends/family members of Christie patients, people who were treated at The Christie and members of the public not connected with The Christie. Interviews (telephone or face to face) will be conducted with participants who are unable to attend the focus groups or would prefer this to a focus group. Participants will be asked to discuss their confidence in talking to others about healthy lifestyles/cancer screening information and any training they might need. All focus groups and interviews will be tape recorded and analysed to answer the research questions.
The findings will help in the development and evaluation of preventative health promotion and early symptom detection interventions and volunteer training programmes.
REC name
South Central - Hampshire A Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/SC/0296
Date of REC Opinion
23 May 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion