Research Profile
What area of diabetes research does your project cover? What role will this particular project play in preventing, treating and/or curing diabetes?The prevalence of youth-onset diabetes in America has surged and is predicted to double in the upcoming decades. This issue is particularly acute in minority communities, which not only experience higher diabetes rates than white communities but also grapple with more diabetes risk factors. Furthermore, minorities often face discrimination associated with adverse health consequences, including diabetes. The Community Leadership Revolution (CLR) Academy is an emerging youth sports program aiming to improve minority children's health. CLR uses sports to foster mindfulness, promote physical activity, and encourage healthy nutrition - tools associated with reducing diabetes risk factors. CLR provides a valuable service to Washtenaw County's Black community, focusing on potential health issues, but the connection between youth engagement frequency with CLR and health outcomes remains uncertain. To bridge this knowledge gap, our study will explore how frequently engaging with a youth sports program (i.e., CLR) may impact diabetes risk factors, specifically youth’s physical activity, nutrition, mental health, and anthropometrics. Additionally, we will examine how CLR engagement affects the link between discrimination and diabetes risk factors. A comprehensive analysis of CLR's effectiveness is also planned. The study results promise valuable insights into the complex relationship between sports participation, diabetes risk factors, and discrimination. The research outcomes will not only aid CLR in bettering its activities but can also guide further comprehensive evaluations of other youth programs, leading to a more refined approach to intervention.
If a person with diabetes were to ask you how your project will help them in the future, how would you respond?Yes, the project will help to establish how engaging in healthy behaviors (i.e., mindfulness, promoting physical activity, and healthy nutrition) aids in preventing the onset of diabetes in children and youth.
Why important for you, personally, to become involved in diabetes research? What role will this award play?Both of my parents had diabetes, so I have a personal connection to the disease. I try to live a healthy life for myself to prevent the onset of the disease in my life. I hope that the research from this project will support future community-based health programs with diabetes prevention programs.
In what direction do you see the future of diabetes research going?Future work will continue to work with community-based programs with the implementation of diabetes prevention research activities and programming.