Abstract:

Introduction:
The Official Master's Degree in Human Nutrition of the University of Granada (MNH-UGR) is highly committed to the practical, research-oriented training of its students. In the field of clinical nutrition research, the design and implementation of nutrition education programs is crucial.
In subjects who have undergone colon cancer resection (CCR) is important the adoption of a healthy lifestyle, particularly with following a correct dietary pattern. The ONCOFIT study aims to analyze the effects of a multidisciplinary program based on nutritional education, physical exercise and psychology on clinical outcomes in patients CCR. Within this framework, students of the MNH-UGR were invited to actively participate in the execution of such intervention as members of the project staff.

Objective:
To evaluate the results of the implementation of a nutrition education program for patients undergoing CCR as a learning-teaching tool for students of the Curricular Practices (12 ECTS) and Master' Thesis (24 ECTS) subjects within the MNH-UGR.

Methods:
Master' Degree students have been engaged in the implementation of a 4-week prehabilitation and 12-week rehabilitation nutritional education program for patients undergoing colon cancer resection. This project is currently being conducted in the Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INYTA) of the Biomedical Research Center (CIBM), the Sport and Health University Research Institute (IMUDS), the General Surgery Service of San Cecilio University Hospital (Granada), and the University of Granada.

Results and discussion:
Through collaborative work between the Master’ Degree students and the research staff of the ONCOFIT project have led to the design and implementation of 14 sessions - including videos and informative brochures - in 56 patients CCR. Prehabilitation sessions (n=4) focused on the Mediterranean diet, sugar and fats, and surgery-specific recommendations. Rehabilitation sessions (n=10) addressed post-operative recommendations, progression diets, common post-surgery problems, importance of fiber, vitamins and minerals, and the impact of ultra-processed food.
The fruitful collaboration has resulted in the successful defense of six outstanding Master´ theses (average rating=9/10) using preliminary results and exploring diverse topics of the ONCOFIT project.

Conclusion:
The collaboration between the research staff of the ONCOFIT and the students of the MNH-UGR has proven highly promising and productive. This synergy has propelled the ONCOFIT project forward successfully, while student have actively engaged in a teaching-learning process, acquiring valuable skills and competences.

Keywords:

Master's Degree, nutritional education.