SEARCH Study diabetes centers are currently located in five states. These are: South Carolina, Ohio, Colorado, California, and Washington. Some centers have various locations within these states. These SEARCH Study diabetes center house the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth program. “SEARCH for diabetes in youth is a national multi-center study that is aimed at understanding more about diabetes among children and young adults in the United States.” , according to the Search for Diabetes website at SearchforDiabetes.org.
SEARCH was first launched in the year 2000 and is set to continue at least through 2015. The website states that there are no more than 20,000 SEARCH Diabetes participants, and that they all represent different racial and ethnic backgrounds. These participants have helped the diabetes SEARCH program determine the extent of diabetes in their communities and how diabetes impacts the different populations.
SEARCH Study Diabetes Facts
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) fund the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth program. According to the CDC’s website, the primary goals for SEARCH are to:
- Develop a uniform classification of types of childhood diabetes
- To estimate the number of new and existing child diabetes cases, and take into account the type, age, sex, ethnic group and race of the child
- To describe the clinical characteristics of the different types of diabetes and how they evolve
- To describe the complications of diabetes in children and adolescents
- To describe the quality of life of the children and adolescents with the disease
According to the CDC, the data collected by the SEARCH diabetes participants will provide valuable information for researchers and health care providers alike. They will use this information to develop appropriate care and treatment protocols for patients. Scientists will also be able to monitor any changes that occur in the type of diabetes for specific cases. They will also be able to look at the characteristics of the cases as well as their various outcomes over time.
The youth population currently being studied by the six SEARCH sits involve more than 5 million, or 6% of, American children ages 0-19. This is the largest racially and geographically diverse study group ever involved in a youth diabetes study. This will likely reduce complications in diabetes as well as lessen the burdens of daily life for children and adolescents with diabetes.
