March 26, 2009
American Cancer Society Awards Research Grant to MacDonald
Community outreach important element of ACS diet and exercise grant
Ruth MacDonald, professor and department chair in food science and human nutrition, recently received a $50,000 grant from the American Cancer Society for her continued work with outreach education to cancer patients. |
By
Laura Dillavou
Ruth MacDonald, professor of food science and human nutrition at Iowa State University, has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the American Cancer Society 2009 Community Based Participatory Research Grants Program for a service learning project designed to better educate community members on the benefits of diet and exercise in relation to cancer.
The grant provides funding to continue an ongoing cancer education project, now in its third year, which will expand on its previous efforts. This year, Iowa State students, under the direction of MacDonald, will create a “toolbox” of self-directed cancer education learning programs for residents of local and rural communities.
As the number of cancer diagnoses continues to rise, so does the essential need to educate people about the impact of healthy diet, exercise, and lifestyle on the disease, said MacDonald, who has headed the project since it began.
“It’s very important to provide current, accurate, and reliable information to those who are dealing with cancer,” MacDonald said. “Those in rural communities may not always have access to this information, but our education modules provide a toolbox of educational programs, brochures, and self-directed exercises that individuals or groups can use to educate themselves on healthy lifestyles choices while living with cancer.”
An estimated 16,000 Iowans will receive a new cancer diagnosis this year, according to the American Cancer Society. The Iowa State project goes a long way in helping people better understand the impact of their health and wellness choices, said Charles Reed, public relations manager for the American Cancer Society, Iowa.
“Not enough people know about the control they have over reducing the risks associated with cancer,” Reed said. “This grant can greatly help us in getting this fact out to rural Iowans and make a real difference.”
MacDonald, in collaboration with ISU’s Jean Anderson and Sally Barclay in dietetics, and Greg Welk in kinesiology, will continue to work with the Mary Greeley Medical Center, located in Ames, Iowa. Laura Elliott, a registered dietitian in the hospital’s oncology unit, serves as the liaison between the hospital and the university.
“The health professionals at Mary Greeley have been very positive and supportive about this project,” MacDonald said. “They recognize it as an outstanding opportunity for students and an important addition to the educational resources for cancer patients.”
The students have created a website that provides access to programs they have developed and anyone can access this information: http://www.fshn.hs.iastate.edu/isupink/homepage.php.
Contacts:
Ruth MacDonald, Food science and human nutrition, (515) 294-5991, ruthmacd@iastate.eduCharles Reed, American Cancer Society, (515) 727-0079, Charles.Reed@cancer.orgLaura Dillavou, College of Human Sciences, (515) 294-3689, laurad@iastate.edu
