This proposal builds upon a five year research project, SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth, and its standardizeddata collection effort, experienced investigator team, established case ascertainment infrastructure, andethnically diverse population base. This is a common, integrated application from the six SEARCH clinicalsites, which proposes to continue and expand the work performed by SEARCH in order to address thefollowing specific research aims:
AIM 1 : Prospectively ascertain newly diagnosed (2006-2008) incident cases age less than 20 years in orderto estimate temporal trends in incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM) in youth;
AIM 2 : Conduct longitudinal follow-up of incident cases already recruited to SEARCH in 2002-2005 in orderto document the evolution of newly diagnosed DM according to clinical and biochemical factors;
AIM 3 : Complete analyses initiated in the first five years of SEARCH and expand the scope of quality ofcare assessment to encompass more broadly defined concepts and measures of quality;
AIM 4 : Develop and validate simple and low-cost case definitions and classifications of DM types in youththat can be used for public health surveillance.The novelty of this proposal includes its comprehensive nature that brings together major and timely facetsof childhood DM research: an epidemiologic study, unique in the United States, of temporal trends in theincidence of DM in youth; a pathophysiologic component addressing the natural history of DM in youth; astudy of processes of care and quality of life; and a public health perspective on case classification of DM inyouth. This research is critically important to public health as it will provide information about whether andhow much DM is increasing among youth of different racial/ethnic groups in the US, how DM impactsphysical health, including complications, as well as valuable data regarding the quality of care and quality oflife of these youth.The SEARCH Study in Hawaii is population-based, with the three health insurance plans participating inthe study including in their membership nearly 80% of the population of the State. Approximately 80% ofthe youth enrolled in SEARCH in Hawaii belong to an ethnic minority group, primarily Asian/PacificIslanders (API). The Hawaii Center had the highest response rate to in person visits in the study andaccounts for approximately half of the API cases included in the study nationwide. SEARCH data indicatesthat the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes among API was 3 times higher compared to non-Hispanic whites.As a study center, Hawaii offers many advantages including a low rate of uninsured residents and lowmigration, and due to geographic isolation, diabetes care is received almost exclusively within the State.
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