01/17/07

Welcome to the UMass Diabetes Network Website!

The idea for this website came about through a discussion I once had with two professors (Dr. Braun and Dr. Kent-Braun) in the Exercise Science (now Kinesiology) department and my own experiences with diabetes (I was diagnosed with Type 1 at the age of 3).   My involvement with the Commonwealth College then turned the idea into reality, as one of the requirements for graduation from “CommColl” is to complete a Culminating Experience Project; this website is a component of that project. 

 About the website:

The information presented here is composed of things that I believe will be useful, and some that I wish I had known since freshman year.  There are three main sections to this site, which include:

      Nutrition

      Exercise

      Resources

      Things your doctor may not have told you in English

The main goal of this site is to provide information that will hopefully aid in gaining or maintaining good control throughout your years at college.

 About the project:

I cannot just put up a website and say, “Look, here’s my project, isn’t it great?”  The Culminating Experience Project is intended to bring together a student’s different interests into a research project.  The question that grew into this project is, “Does being part of a supportive group positively impact the level of blood glucose control of a person with diabetes?”   The study design for this project will occur during the Fall 2006 semester and involves:

1. Finding interested diabetics (if you are not part of the Energy Metabolism Lab and are reading this, then most likely this step has already been done)
2. Splitting those people into two even groups  through a random selection
   1. The Control group will only have access to this website, but not active in the support group
   2. The Test group will be actively involved in a supportive group
3. Administering two surveys and an A1c test at the beginning and end of the semester
4. After the study is complete, anyone who was unable to participate in the group activities will then be able to participate if they so wish.

 Ultimately, this network will hopefully bring people together so that they can learn from each other and make some new friends.  

On a final note:  I tried to present the information here in an understandable way; if anybody finds anything wrong or not easy to understand, please contact us at diabetes@kin.umass.edu and I will try to make it right.

 Disclaimer:  The information presented here was compiled by a student and over-seen by a professor.  It is not intended to diagnose or treat any problems, but to give fellow students with diabetes information that may help them to transition into college life smoothly.  Talk to your doctor before making any major changes to your treatment.

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This site was last updated 05/02/06