Join an Effort to Better Understand How Lived Experiences Impact Diabetes
By Matthew Garza
If you are an adult with any type of diabetes (or another chronic condition) and live in the US, take this short 5-10 minute survey to help researchers better understand how people with chronic conditions are impacted by their physical and social environments.
Study Name: Self-Perceptions of Stress and Environment on Chronic Illness
Diabetes Type: Adults with any type of diabetes
Why is this study new and important?
People who live with a chronic condition like diabetes often face unique stressors in their life. Researchers are still trying to understand how, and to what extent, lived experiences – from chronic illness such as diabetes or anxiety to acute trauma to various forms of discrimination – may impact a person’s general health.
“The study aims to capture this by viewing people living with chronic health issues as experts of their own health/illness experiences,” said Athena Sofides, who is one of the researchers on this Yale University project. Sofides lives with type 1 diabetes and is pursuing a Master’s degree at the university.
“Through conducting this survey, our team hopes to gather, and highlight, the lived knowledge that comes from people’s experiences that is often overlooked, or at least, not studied, by much health research,” Sofides said.
Part of those experiences includes how a person’s identities, as well as their physical and social environments, might impact their ability to manage their condition, interact with the healthcare system, and have a high quality of life.
“As a person with diabetes, I am passionate about work that highlights our community’s unique, lived experiences – knowledge that is often not captured in doctor's appointments or included in healthcare providers' education,” Sofides said, adding that this type of knowledge may prove to be invaluable in actually helping people with diabetes manage their condition and live a fulfilling life.
What is the study measuring?
This study requires participants to complete an anonymous online survey. The survey includes multiple choice and short answer questions to gain insights on the perspectives of people with diabetes and how their health may be impacted by things such as gender and racial identity, physical and social environment, and trauma.
Study Duration: Roughly 5-10 minutes
Study Locations: This study includes an online survey and can be taken by any eligible person within the US, as long as they have an internet connection.
Are you interested?
You may be eligible to participate in this trial if you:
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Live in the US
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Are 18 years of age or older
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Can speak and read English
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Have been diagnosed with any type of diabetes (or another chronic condition)
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Have access to an internet connection.
By clicking this link, you will be transferred to the study’s project portal.
For more information: Visit the study’s project portal by clicking this link. Please feel free to contact the study’s principal investigator, Kalindi Vora at kalindi.vora@yale.edu.
Photo credit: iStock
