iBounce helping kids’ cancer patients pivot away from sugar-sweetened beverages

We are proud to share Dr Lauren Ha, The Kids’ Cancer Project-funded researcher based at UNSW, has had a correspondence letter published in the British Journal of Cancer, detailing the positive effects her app iBounce has on limiting the sugar-sweetened beverage (SSBs) intake of kids with cancer. 

iBounce's development was made possible with a $600,000 commitment from The Kids’ Cancer Project. The app is designed specifically to assist childhood cancer survivors in remission, supporting physical activity and fitness in survivorship.  

Dr Ha has overseen the development of the app, implementing digital health education interventions for childhood cancer survivors backed by research.  

Her latest study has discovered that kids' cancer patients in survivorship often consume high levels of sugar and sugar-sweetened beverages, which increases their risk of premature ageing and chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease and diabetes. 

26 Aussie kids’ cancer survivors between the ages of 8-13 had their sugar-sweetened beverage intakes measured against 1,354 children from the general population. Survivors consumed fewer SSBs than controls at baseline, with that number decreasing following a 12-week program completed through the iBounce program. 

The Kids’ Cancer Project CEO, Owen Finegan, says that the findings will assist in encouraging healthy practices which improve the quality of life of young cancer survivors. 

“Our mission is to see all kids with cancer not only survive, but thrive. Dr Ha’s development of iBounce is pivotal in ensuring that the fitness of kids’ cancer survivors is at an optimum level. 

“The latest findings, published in the British Journal of Cancer, typify Dr Ha and her team’s work to ensure the successful rehabilitation of kids’ cancer patients in survivorship.” 

To read the correspondence letter, click here.