Supporting cancer patients with unintentional weight loss (CHANGES)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Preliminary evaluation of a psychoeducational digital intervention to support coping with cancer and unintentional weight loss for patients and caregivers (CHANGES project)
IRAS ID
339586
Contact name
Sally Wheelwright
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Sussex
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 8 months, 31 days
Research summary
Unintentional weight loss is common in cancer patients and can significantly impact their quality of life, as well as that of their informal carers. Assessing and managing this issue is often an unmet need.
Previously, a face-to-face workshop was created to support patients and carers, but it was challenging to scale up. To address this, a digital version of the workshop was developed as a website to provide the same support and educational content. You can see the website at https://shore-c.sussex.ac.uk/changes_dev/ (enter any combination of letters and numbers in the ‘Please enter the code given to you by our researcher’ box). This project aims to conduct an initial evaluation of the website.
Cancer patients experiencing unintentional weight loss and their carers will be identified from NHS sites, social media, and patient organisations. They will participate in one of two phases, each lasting 60-90 minutes.
• Phase 1 (Pilot Testing): 15 patients and 15 carers will use the website and complete a short survey on its acceptability and satisfaction.
• Phase 2 (Preliminary Evaluation): The website will be publicly accessible. Usage and how users found the site will be monitored. We will check whether knowledge improves after using the website and invite users to complete the short acceptability and satisfaction survey. We hope that at least 50 people will take part in this phase.REC name
London - South East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/PR/0786
Date of REC Opinion
24 Jun 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion