Participant Information
Please read the participant information carefully.
This information will help you to decide if you would like to wear a wrist-worn activity monitor as part of the third wave of follow-up for the Australian Breakthrough Cancer (ABC) Study.
If you have any questions, please contact the study team on 1800 688 419 or email info@abcstudy.com.au.
1. Your consent
If you agree to wear a wrist-worn activity monitor, you will be asked to give your consent to indicate that you have read and understood this information, and that you freely agree to the conditions described in this participant information sheet. This includes consenting to wearing a wrist-worn accelerometer to collect physical activity data.
Please print or save this Participant Information Sheet for your records.
2. Who runs the ABC Study?
The ABC Study is run by Cancer Council Victoria. The Chief Investigator is Professor Roger Milne, Head of the Cancer Epidemiology Division (CED). Principal investigators are Professor Graham Giles, Distinguished Research Fellow, CED, Associate Professor Brigid Lynch, Deputy Head, CED and Professor Melissa Southey, Precision Medicine, Monash University.
The researcher overseeing the ABC Accelerometer Study is Associate Professor Brigid Lynch, Deputy Head, Cancer Epidemiology Division (CED), Cancer Council Victoria.
3. Does the study have approval from an ethics committee?
Physical activity data collection has been approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of Cancer Council Victoria. This study will be carried out according to the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (2007, updated 2023) (HREC No. 1403).
4. Do I have to participate in this component of the study?
Your participation in this component of the study is completely voluntary and there will be no cost to you. If you do not want to take part in this component of the study you do not have to. You should feel under no obligation to participate.
5. Why am I being asked to provide physical activity data?
Physical activity, prolonged sitting and sleep are important lifestyle behaviours which should be explored for their possible links with disease occurrence in the population and for seeking opportunities to improve health status of communities. This study aims to collect data on how much time individuals spend in different types of reclining, sitting and moving activities. This information will allow our researchers to examine how different patterns of sitting or moving are related to various health outcomes, including processes that lead to cancer, and other diseases.
We hope to obtain physical activity data from all ABC Study participants to further complement the depth of information contained in the study and available for future research.
6. What does participating in this part of the study involve?
If you decide to take part in the ABC Accelerometer Study, you will be asked to do the following:
Wear an activity monitor for seven (7) consecutive days.
You will be asked to wear a wrist-worn activity monitor for seven (7) consecutive days, 24 hours a day. This device looks like a watch, but it does not have a watch face and should be worn on the wrist of your dominant hand.
If you agree to take part in this part of the study, we will provide you with a package that will contain:
- One Axivity accelerometer (contained within a wrist band);
- Separate instructions with illustrations demonstrating how to wear the device;
- A postage-paid satchel for you to return the device to us after wearing it for seven days.
7. How are my privacy and confidentiality protected?
Cancer Council Victoria is subject to privacy and health records laws which regulate how it collects and handles personal information, including sensitive and health information. Further details about how it handles your personal information are set out in its Privacy Policy, available on Cancer Council Victoria's website.
Access to information that identifies you, such as your name, date of birth and address, will be restricted to staff employed by Cancer Council Victoria to maintain contact with you for the duration of your participation in this study. All electronic records containing personal information will be stored on a password-protected computer system. These will be protected by high-level security measures. For further information, please refer to the Cancer Council Victoria Privacy Statement. Access is restricted to a small number of staff who are required to sign confidentiality agreements.
Your information, which will not include your name or other identifying information, may be made available to other researchers, including interstate and overseas researchers, for studies that have been approved by a Human Research Ethics Committee recognised by Cancer Council Victoria. The purpose of any such research would be relevant to the primary purpose of the ABC Study (research into cancer and other diseases). Government agencies and publishers of scientific journals sometimes require research data to be available via open or mediated access data repositories that meet international security and safety standards for sharing data. In such cases, no individually identifiable data would be provided.
We will not include your name or other identifying information in any publication.
Cancer Council Victoria has no plans to destroy the information we collect because the study will continue indefinitely.
In accordance with relevant Australian and Victorian privacy legislation, you have the right to access the information about you that is collected and held by us. You also have the right to ask for information to be corrected.
Contact the study team on 1800 688 419 or email info@abcstudy.com.au if you would like to access your information.
8. How can I find out what the researchers learn from the study?
All participants will periodically be sent a newsletter as part of the broader ABC Study. We may include some interesting findings from the ABC Accelerometer Study in future newsletters. Individual participants will not be identified in any articles; only aggregate response data will be discussed.
Research can take a long time. The research using the information you provide could take some years to complete. We will not be providing you with personal results. Participation in the study should not alter your use of routine health care or health screenings in any way.
9. Are there any benefits to me?
You may not receive any direct benefits by participating in the ABC Accelerometer Study, but the results of the research could benefit others in the future. Your participation will allow us to better understand health and disease dynamics.
10. Are there any risks to me?
The wrist-worn activity monitor, which is worn like a watch, can be uncomfortable for some. If you find the wristband is causing skin irritation that is uncomfortable or distressing, please discontinue use of the device and contact the ABC Study team on 1800 688 419 or email info@abcstudy.com.au.
11. What if I no longer want to participate?
You can stop wearing the activity monitor at any time. You can also withdraw from the broader ABC Study, at any time, without giving a reason, by contacting the study team on 1800 688 419 or email info@abcstudy.com.au.
12. Sources of funding
The Australian Breakthrough Cancer (ABC) Study is funded by Cancer Council Victoria and a generous gift from the Geary Estate. Funding to conduct the third wave follow-up is provided by the David and Fay Baker Fund. Funding for the accelerometer study is provided by the Gandel Foundation.
13. What if I have more questions?
If you have any questions about ABC Accelerometer Study, or would like any additional information before deciding to participate, please contact the study team on 1800 688 419 or email info@abcstudy.com.au.
14. What can I do if I have a complaint?
If you have any complaints or concerns about the manner in which this research is being conducted, please contact the Research Program Governance Unit of the Cancer Council Victoria via RGU@cancervic.org.au or contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at enquiries@oaic.gov.au or tel: 1300 363 992.
Thank you for your time. If you have any questions about The ABC Accelerometer Study, or want to talk with the ABC Study team about taking part, please call the study team on: 1800 688 419 or email info@abcstudy.com.au.
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