Jaiden Denney
Thesis Title: Access to physical activity programmes and cancer support in young adults living with and beyond cancer through the lens of cancer inequalities
Living with and beyond cancer can have a negative physical, psychological, and social impact. Physical activity participation can reduce these implications and the likelihood of comorbidities and late effects of cancer; thus, physical activity is suggested as an adjunct therapy in oncology (Gerritsen & Vincent, 2016). Physical activity programmes exist to support people living with and beyond cancer, however further work is required to bridge the gap between the scientific evidence of the benefits of physical activity and the applied setting that they are delivered (Mina et al., 2018). Whilst physical activity programmes do exist in practice, inequalities in accessing such programmes are present (e.g., neighbourhoods with high levels of poverty), and further research is required particularly amongst young adults (Crowder et al., 2022). Health inequalities in adequate access of resources (e.g., equipment, infrastructure) are driving charities to try and address this gap.
Working closely with Trekstock, the present research aims to optimise the physical activity service provision for young people living with cancer, with a particular view to minimising health inequalities. Proposed research questions include:
1) What inequalities affect access to cancer support programmes?
2) How can these inequalities in accessing physical activity programmes be addressed?
3) What are the gaps in current physical activity services and how can they be addressed?
With implications for other population groups facing a similar treatment burden and after-effects, this research intends to advance knowledge, and increase the accessibility of physical activity programmes for all young adults facing a cancer diagnosis.
Biography
Jaiden studied BSc Sport and Exercise Psychology at Loughborough University from 2017-2021. During her undergraduate degree, she completed a placement year with sports charity Sport 4 Life UK, volunteering as a training assistant and working across the mentoring team. Following this, she graduated from Cardiff Metropolitan University with distinction in 2023, from the MSc Health Psychology programme. Her dissertation centred upon physical activity levels during the COVID-19 pandemic, exploring the relationship between access to greenspace, mental wellbeing and physical activity.
Sport and Exercise Science
Loughborough
2023 Cohort, +3.5
https://twitter.com/jaiden_psych
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaiden-denney/
Supervisory Team
Dr Elizabeth Stamp
Dr Silvia Costa
Professor Fehmidah Munir
Collaborator
Trekstock