(You can also read this in our participant information sheet)

 

Who can participate?

You can take part in this study if you are:

• aged 16-25 years  

• an Australian resident

• Intend to start a diet within the month, that lasts for longer than a couple of weeks

• Have a phone or computer, internet access, and can read/write English

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You cannot participate if: 

• You are pregnant or lactating 

• You have a formal diagnosis of malnourishment, a BMI < 17.5 or major medical condition that doesn’t allow you to go on a diet. 

• You have or have had a clinically diagnosed eating disorder 

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What will the study involve?

There are two parts to this study.

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Part 1 - Online Surveys & Diaries: You will be asked to complete a number of online questionnaires, once a month for 6 months. We would also like you to keep some online diaries, for one week each month

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How do I benefit from participating in the study?

Though there are no direct benefits from your participation, we understand that this study may take some time to complete and would like to reimburse you for your time.

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 If you complete all measures to 6 months, we are pleased to offer you a $130 gift card for online purchases ($30 given for completion of baseline to  1-month follow-up, $30 given for completion of 2-month, $20 given for completion of3-month, $50 given for completion of 4-month to 6-month follow up).

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For 1st year students undertaking psychology classes at the University of Sydney: Students may be able to receive partial course credit via the SONA participation system Participants will be awarded 2 credit points for completing the baseline questionnaire, the first 4-days worth of daily diaries (3 weekdays and 1 weekend day) and 1 month follow-up survey. After completing your SONA participation credit, you will be invited to stay on to larger MyDietStudy. Participants will be reimbursed in line with the general community who participate in the study. 

 

Are there any risks associated with participating in the study?

There may be some risk (e.g., distress) associated with completing standard psychological measures. If at any time you feel distressed, you can call the NSW Mental Health Access Line at 1800 011 511. Alternatively, we encourage you to speak to your friends or healthcare professional (GP, psychologist, psychiatrist).

Additionally, for Part 2 we anticipate some inconvenience for you, as it will take up to 9 hours across three in-person appointments. 

 

How will confidentiality be maintained?  

Once collected, all data will be deidentified (i.e., participants will be anonymised). The study co-ordinators will allocate you a study ID number so your identifying information (such as your email address) will be kept separately from your questionnaire data. Your data will not be available to anyone outside the research team. Any presentations and publications of this research will only report deidentified group data.

 

What will happen to the data?

All information collected online will be via the secure online platform REDCap, TeamScope and FitBit App, then stored in the Research Data System (RDS) compliant with data security guidelines of the University of Sydney. Unless you decide you want to exit the study, data will be retained for 7 years from the day the study is completed, then destroyed, as per guidelines.

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Can I withdraw from the study?

Being in this study is completely voluntary, your decision whether to participate will not affect your current or future relationship with the researchers or anyone else at the University of Sydney. If you decide to take part in the study and then change your mind later, you are free to withdraw at any time. You can do this by emailing study coordinators, Mirei Okada and Melissa Pehlivan (usyddieting.study@sydney.edu.au).

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If you decide to withdraw from the study, we will not collect any more information from you. Any information already collected will be kept in our study records and may be included in the study results. The gift card incentives are paid as per the schedule above and participants can keep whatever incentive they have earned. For University of Sydney students, course credit is only available with study completion. 

 

Ethics Approval and Complaints  

This study has been approved by the Human Ethics Review Committee (RPAH Zone) of the Sydney Local Health District. Any person with concerns or complaints about the conduct of the study should contact the Executive Officer on (02) 9515 6766 and quote protocol number X21-0181. 

  

Who can I contact for further information? 

This study is being conducted within this institution by Assoc. Prof. Andrew Holmes, Assoc. Prof. Sarah Maguire, Prof. Stephen Simpson, Prof. Stephen Touyz, Dr Jane Miskovic-Wheatley, Ms. Mirei Okada (PhD candidate) and Ms. Melissa Pehlivan (PhD candidate) from the University of Sydney. If you would like to know more at any stage, please feel free to contact study coordinators at usyddieting.study@sydney.edu.au.