Cancer Council SA’s Behavioural Research team conducts research to inform the development of Cancer Council SA’s evidence-based prevention programs and support services.
Cancer Council SA’s current research projects
Cancer in incarcerated South Australians
Australians who experience incarceration are at risk of profound health inequity. However, there is a lack of Australian data that quantifies cancer-related outcomes among this population to inform appropriate and accessible health and support services.
This study aims to document cancer incidence, prevalence and mortality among South Australians who experience incarceration. It will use data linkage to combine data from SA Correctional Services, SA Cancer Registry, and the SA Death Register. This project seeks to generate critical insights to inform policy changes and improve cancer outcomes for justice-involved people.
For more information on this project, contact Dr Julia Morris, Cancer Council SA Research Manager at jmorris@cancersa.org.au.
Co-producing cancer survivorship resources with and for people with intellectual disability
People with intellectual disability often face more barriers to accessing and receiving appropriate cancer care, leading to poorer health outcomes.
The aim of this study is to address health inequities in cancer survivorship for people with intellectual disability by exploring lived experiences and co-producing tailored, accessible resources.
This work will be led in partnership with community researchers with lived experience of intellectual and physical disability, who will play an active role in all stages of the project. The project team brings together researchers, clinicians, community researchers, and health professionals from Flinders University, Cancer Council SA, SA Health, UNSW Sydney and University of Sydney.
This two-year project, supported by the 2024 Medical Research Future Fund Survivorship Care and Collaborative Research Prioritisation grant, will use inclusive research practices to understand the cancer survivorship experiences, needs and preferences of people with intellectual disability.
The study will be conducted in two stages:
- Stage 1 will explore the cancer survivorship experiences, needs, and preferences of people with intellectual disability, their caregivers, service providers, and healthcare professionals.
- Stage 2 will involve the co-production and evaluation of accessible supports and resources to improve survivorship care for people with intellectual disability and those who support them.
This study will also be delivered in collaboration with key organisations: the National Centre of Excellence in Intellectual Disability Health, Cancer Council Australia, Our Voice SA, South Australian Council on Intellectual Disability, Minda Inc., and the South Australian Intellectual Disability Health Service.
For more information on this project, please contact Dr Jennifer Baldock, Cancer Council SA Researcher at jbaldock@cancersa.org.au
Participate in this study
We want to hear from people with intellectual disability and their carers to support this research. Find out how you can get involved and participate in this important study.
Financial toxicity and cancer
Cancer can have a major impact on people’s finances, often leading to stress and difficult choices. This project aims to better understand how cancer affects the financial wellbeing of South Australians – what costs are involved, what sacrifices people make, what support they need, and how we can advocate for better resources to reduce financial hardship.
For more information on this project, please contact Dr Daniel Coro, Cancer Council SA Senior Researcher at dcoro@cancersa.org.au.
Weight stigma
Weight stigma refers to prejudice towards people based on their body size and weight. Weight stigma is widespread in the Australian healthcare system and has been associated with poorer health outcomes. In the context of cancer, weight stigma can impact screening, diagnosis and treatment, potentially resulting in poorer outcomes for those affected.
This research aims to better understand how weight stigma affects people with cancer and how this could be improved.
For more information on this research, please contact Rebecca Scupham, Cancer Council SA Researcher at rscupham@cancersa.org.au or Sara Zangari, Cancer Council SA Researcher at szangari@cancersa.org.au.
Cancer-related cognitive impairment
Cancer-related cognitive impairment affects things like memory, attention and executive function, which are vital for people to continue their daily activities, work and maintain social relationships.
Traditional assessments of cancer-related cognitive impairment, such as neuropsychological tests recommended by the International Cancer and Cognition Task Force, are often not sensitive to the impairments that cancer survivors report experiencing.
We’re leading a review that looks at how we measure changes in thinking and memory (cognition) in people during and after cancer treatment, using tools that track physical responses in the body (like heart rate or brain activity). These tools can help provide objective evidence to support the concerns many people have about cancer-related cognitive problems.
Our review pulls together studies that use these physiological methods to see how well they detect changes in thinking, how sensitive and reliable they are, and what their strengths and weaknesses might be.
In addition to the review, we’re running a pilot study using a test called the Oxford Multiple Errands Task (MET), which assesses how well people can manage everyday tasks — something that can be affected by cognitive difficulties. We’re also creating the first Australian version of the Oxford MET app, in collaboration with researchers from Oxford University.
Together, these projects aim to better understand how cancer affects thinking and everyday functioning, and to improve how we assess these changes in cancer survivors.
For more information on this project, please contact Dr Jennifer Baldock, Cancer Council SA Researcher at jbaldock@cancersa.org.au.
Piloting hat-wearing in a South Australian secondary school
Australia has the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, and protecting children from sun damage early in life reduces their chances of being diagnosed with skin cancer in adulthood.
This project explores whether encouraging hat-wearing from year 7 in a South Australian government secondary school could help support students to maintain sun-safe habits.
We will work closely with students and school communities to understand what works, what gets in the way, and how best to support long-term sun protection in schools.
For more information on this project, please contact Dr Daniel Coro, Cancer Council SA Senior Researcher at dcoro@cancersa.org.au.
Collaborate with us
We are open to exploring collaborative opportunities that contribute to reducing the rate and impact of cancer in the community. For more information, get in touch with our Research team at breu@cancersa.org.au.
Cancer Council SA’s published research projects
2025 Publications
Baldock, J., Shipley, T., & Paterson, V. (2025). The Design and Evaluation of Community‐Informed Video Resources to Promote Safe and Inclusive Cervical Screening for South Australian LGBTIQ+ People With a Cervix. Health Promotion Journal of Australia. https://doi.org/10.1002/hpja.70062
Stearn A, Baldock J, Morris JN, Flavel J & Baum F (publication in press). Homelessness and cancer care: A missing priority in the Australian Cancer Plan. Medical Journal Australia.
Sapian S, Calabro R, Coro D. (2025). Cancer Risk Perceptions in South Australia: A Descriptive Analysis of a Population Survey. Health Promotion journal of Australia. https://doi.org/10.1002/hpja.70075
2024 Publications
Trigg, J., Bowden, J., Morris, J., Daly, T., Miller, C., & Bonevski, B. (2024). Mental health and support for rigorous tobacco control strategies in South Australia. Tobacco control. https://doi.org/10.1136/tc-2024-058831
Kelly, R., Calabro R., Beatty, L., Schirmer, K., Coro, D.G. (2024). Evaluating campaign concepts aimed at replacing sugar-sweetened beverages with water. Health Promotion Journal of Australia. https://doi.org/10.1002/hpja.903
Brkic, E., Prichard, I., Daly, A., Dudley, S., & Beatty, L. (2024). Testing the efficacy of a brief online writing intervention on body image and distress in female cancer survivors, Patient Education and Counseling. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2024.108356
Blunt, J., & Trigg, J. (2024). Psycho-Oncological Counselling for Mental Health in South Australians with Cancer. Advances in Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1155/2024/2131827
Morris, JN, Loyer J, & Blunt, J (2024). Stigma, risks, and benefits of medicinal cannabis use among Australians with cancer. Supportive Care in Cancer. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-024-08439-w
Trigg, J., Calabro, R., Anastassiadis, P., Bowden, J., Bonevski, B. (2024). Association of anxiety and depression symptoms with perceived health risk of nicotine vaping products for smoking cessation. Frontiers in Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1277781
Coro, D.G., Schirmer, K., van Rhoda, M., McQueen, B., & Morris, C. (2024). An environmental scan of food and drink advertising on public transport around Adelaide schools. Health Promotion Journal of Australia. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hpja.886
2023 Publications
Leske M, Koczwara B, Morris JN & Beatty L. (2023). Modality preferences for health behaviour interventions for post-treatment cancer survivors: a theoretical investigation. Supportive Care in Cancer. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-023-07607-8
Morris JN, Crawford-Williams F, Koczwara B, Chan RJ, Vardy J, Lisy K, Iddawela M, Mackay G & Jefford M. (2023). Current landscape of cancer survivorship research in Australia. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Oncology. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajco.13914
Morris, JN, Baldock, J, Trigg, J, Blunt, J, Blanden, L. (2023). South Australia’s tobacco retail landscape and its intersection with socioeconomic factors and smoking prevalence. Health Promotion Journal of Australia. https://doi.org/10.1002/hpja.797
2022 Publications
Beatty L, Kemp E, Butow P, Girgis A, Hulbert-Williams N, Kaambwa B, Schofield P, Turner J, Woodman R, Boyle F, Daly A, Jones A, Kiely B, Zdenkowski N, The FMW-A Authorship Group, Koczwara B. (2022). Finding My Way-Advanced: Can a web-based psychosocial intervention improve the mental quality of life for women with metastatic breast cancer vs attention-control? Study protocol of a randomised controlled trial. BMC Cancer. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-022-10410-z
Crawford-Williams F, Koczwara B Chan RJ, Vardy J, Lisy K, Morris JN, Iddawela M, Mackay G & Jefford M. (2022). Defining research priorities for cancer survivorship in Australia: a modified Delphi study. Supportive Care in Cancer. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-021-06744-2
Leske, M., Koczwara, B., Blunt, J., Morris, J., Eakin, E., Short, C., Daly, A., Degner, J., & Beatty, L. (2022). Co-designing Healthy Living after Cancer Online; an online nutrition, physical activity, and psychosocial intervention for post-treatment cancer survivors. Journal of Cancer Survivorship: Research and practice. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-022-01284-y
Trigg J, Shen D, Morris JN, Blunt J. (2022). Characteristics of Aboriginal Australian smokers exposed to anti-smoking social marketing: A South Australian case study. Journal of Communication in Healthcare. https://doi.org/10.1080/17538068.2022.2064689
2021 Publications
Bamgboje-Ayodele, A., Smith, A. B., Short, C. E., Fardell, J. E., Shaw, J., Beatty, L., Higgins, K., Tutelman, P. R., Chambers, C. T. and Girgis, A. (2021). Barriers and facilitators to the availability of efficacious self-directed digital health tools for adults living with cancer and their caregivers: A systematic literature review and author survey study. Patient Education and Counseling. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2021.03.012
Beatty, L., Kemp, E., Turner, J., Butow, P., Milne, D., Yates, P., Lambert, S., Wootten, A., and Koczwara, B. (2021). Moderators of intervention efficacy for Finding My Way: A web-based psychosocial intervention for cancer-related distress. Supportive Care in Cancer. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-021-06291-w
Beatty, L., Koczwara, B., Butow, P., Turner, J., Girgis, A., Schofield, P., Hulbert-Williams, N. J., Kaambwa, B., and Kemp, E. (2021). Development and usability testing of a web-based psychosocial intervention for women living with metastatic breast cancer: Finding My Way-Advanced. Journal of Cancer Survivorship. https://10.1007/s11764-021-01019-5
Grant, A. R., Koczwara, B., Morris, J. N., Eakin, E., Short, C. E., and Beatty, L. (2021). What do cancer survivors and their health care providers want from a healthy living program? Results from the first round of a co-design project. Supportive Care in Cancer. https://10.1007/s00520-021-06019-w
Hulbert-Williams, N. J., Leslie, M., Hulbert-Williams, L., Koczwara, B., Watson, E. K., Hall, P. S., Ashley, L., Coulson, N. S., Jackson, R., Millington, S., The Finding My Way UK Trial Steering Group, and Beatty, L. (2021). The Finding My Way UK clinical trial: Adaptation report and protocol for replication randomized controlled efficacy trial of a web-based psychological program to support cancer survivors. JMIR Research Protocols. https://10.2196/31976
Kemp, E., Trigg, J., Beatty, L, Christensen, C., Dhillon, H. M., Maeder, A., Williams, P. A. H., and Koczwara, B. (2021). Health literacy, digital health literacy and the implementation of digital health technologies in cancer care: the need for a strategic approach. Health Promotion Journal of Australia. https://doi.org/10.1002/hpja.387
Morris, J. N., Roder, D., Turnbull, D., and Hunkin, H. (2021). The impact of cancer on early childhood development: A linked data study. Journal of Pediatric Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsaa084
Thomas, J. A., Trigg, J., Morris, J., Miller, E., and Ward, P. R. (2021). Exploring the potential of citizen science for public health through an alcohol advertising case study. Health Promotion International. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daab139
Trigg, J. (2021). Examining the role of pets in cancer survivors’ physical and mental wellbeing. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology. https://10.1080/07347332.2021.1936337
2020 Publications
Morris, J. N., (2020). Conducting research using population-based linked data: Insights from a longitudinal investigation of adolescent and young adult offspring impacted by parental cancer in Western Australia. Sage Research Methods Cases: Medicine and Health. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781529740257
Blunt, J., Morris, J., and Trigg, J. (2020). Diet and physical activity practices of South Australian adolescents. Heliyon. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04326
Davies, F., Shepherd, H. L., Beatty, L., Clark, B., Butow, P., and Shaw, J. (2020). Implementing web-based therapy in routine mental health care: systematic review of health professionals’ perspectives. Journal of Medical Internet Research. https://10.2196/17362
Hunkin, H., and Morris, J. N. (2020). A decade of sun protection in Australian early-childhood services: analysis of cross-sectional and repeated-measures data. Health Education Research. https://doi.org/10.1093/her/cyaa005
Hunkin, H., Pollack, K., and Scupham, R. (2020). The National SunSmart School Program: Impact on sun protection policies and practices in Australian primary schools. Health Promotion Journal of Australia. https://10.1002/hpja.291
Koczwara, B., Beatty, L., Kemp, E., Maeder, A., Williams, P. A. H., Dhillon, H., Christensen, C., Marker, J., Trigg, J., Sparrow, A., Size, L., Wiggins, B., Mohammadi, L., and Damarell, R. A. (2020). The Australian digital health in cancer care road map: a strategic framework for implementation of digital health in cancer care in Australia. Flinders University. https://www.flinders.edu.au/content/dam/documents/research/flinders-cancer-research/TheAustralianRoadmapforDigitalHealthinCancerCare.pdf
Smith, A., Bamgboje-Ayodele, A., Butow, P., Klein, B., Turner, J., Sharpe, L., Fardell, J., Beatty, L., Pearce, A., Thewes, B., Beith, J, iConquerFear Community Advisory Group, and Girgis, A. (2020). Development and usability evaluation of an online self-management intervention for fear of cancer recurrence (iConquerFear). Psycho-Oncology, https://10.1002/pon.5218
Ohan J, Jackson H, Bay S, Morris JN & Martini A (2020). How Psychosocial Interventions Meet the Needs of Children of Parents with Cancer: A Review and Critical Evaluation. Eur J Cancer Care. https://10.1111/ecc.13237