This proposed supplement to the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) will collect additional information from HRS participants that will support detailed analyses of diabetes self-management and glycemic control. The mail survey will include a self-administered questionnaire, and a kit for taking a dried blood spot sample that can be returned (anonymously) to a laboratory to be tested for levels of hemoglobin Alc. The combination of data collected in this mail survey and the ongoing longitudinal data in the core HRS will provide a uniquely valuable resource to study behavioral aspects of diabetes in relation to measured levels of glucose control and to long-term retrospective and prospective information on SES, health, family relations, and use of formal and informal care. The supplement itself will conduct analyses on the economic burden of diabetes, on disparities in self-management success, and on the effects of the mail survey on subsequent participation in the HRS. Approximately 2,150 self-reported diabetics from the HRS 2002 wave will be invited to participate. Participants will be asked in a 30-45 minute instrument questions about duration and severity of the disease, quality of health care received, medication use, self-management behaviors, attitudes, self-efficacy, perceived barriers, and beliefs about their health risks. Participants who provide dried blood spot samples will be notified of the results of that assessment via mail. A Medical Review Board will oversee the notification process and determine if special instructions are required for any respondent. The survey data from this project will be released to the public as soon as it can be prepared and evaluated. ? ?
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