Recent studies have been conducted at Penn State to determine how diabetics and their partners deal with the disease.
Now, researchers are seeking the help of residents in Blair County including Tyrone and the Altoona area. This is the third phase of the overall study. The latest phase of the study will focus on those who have recently been diagnosed with the disease.
“We are concentrating on the Tyrone and Altoona area in this phase,” said Mary-Jo Langston, project assistant. The current phase of the project will run until the end of March.
However, Langston said they are looking for Blair County residents to respond now by volunteering for the research before the project concentrates on other areas of the state.
Langston said they are concentrating on other areas including Monroe, Lackawana, Leigh and North Hampton Counties. They are also planning on research in other areas including Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Chambersburg.
One of the previous studies looked at couples who had to adjust when one partner develops diabetes? The study also tried to answer other questions.
For example, how does a partner manage the changes in diet that are healthier for the diabetic and most likely healthier for themselves?
In that study, Lynne Brown, an associate professor at Penn State, interviewed twenty couples in which one was a recently diagnosed type two diabetic to find out how they handled changes in diet.
Now she is working on a survey that will show how a newly diagnosed diabetic is likely to cope with change in diet. Diabetes educators will use the
survey responses to help type two diabetics manage their diets.
The study is looking for married or partnered volunteers who are type two diabetics to help Dr. Brown develop this questionnaire. All the volunteer has to do is complete four surveys.
The questions will be about adjusting to the diabetic diet. Dr. Brown would like to hear from people who feel they do not have the support of their partner and from those who feel they do have support. She is also seeking input from people having trouble with the diet and from those having success with it. Volunteers who complete the surveys receive a gift.
Anyone interested in volunteering for the study or learning more about it is invited to call 1-800-406-0556 and leave a name, phone number, and times he or she can be reached. A study staff person will return the call to answer questions and confirm the caller’s qualifications for the study.
This study will help diabetes educators assist others with type two diabetes and has received approval from the Office of Research Protections under Federal regulations at Penn State.
