Adolescent Diabetes Prevention/Eating Behavior Research

This image shows two women smiling and working together in a kitchen, cracking eggs into a bowl with an open tablet displaying a recipe on the counter next to them.

Seeking students to work on an observational study that helps identify family, environment, and eating behavior factors that may be associated with increased risk for pre-diabetes or insulin resistance among teens. 

Project description

This project includes study of pediatric type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity development through the lens of how eating behaviors are built and supported throughout the teenage years. This work will help identify key areas of adolescent eating autonomy behaviors (like food preparation, planning, snacking and meal autonomy) related to elevated HbA1C and bodyweight. It will serve to better target diabetes prevention along adolescents with family history of T2D and high socioeconomic disadvantages. We will also capture how adolescents’ eating autonomy is being promoted (versus controlled) to help inform future food-related parenting interventions for teens growing up in households with high T2D risk profiles.

We are looking for students with access to a car in Buffalo to be able to occasionally meet a family at a medical site around Buffalo to run a 1hr appointment (surveys and measurements) with a teen and one parent (up to 4x per month). The student would also be trained to support other research tasks remotely like checking email, dashboards, organizational and data tasks, and checking in with participants. 

Project outcome

The specific outcomes of this project will be identified by the faculty mentor at the beginning of your collaboration. Other goals of this research involvement include:

Receive training toward the ability to run community research visits independently

Visit/research protocols

Content or materials (including agendas) for trainings, workshops, conferences, or meetings

Development of messages or content for health education or promotion purposes

Content for needs assessments, gap analysis, or community health assessments

Data entry, coding, or review project completion

Students may elect to create posters or presentations if they communicate this desire in advance and work with mentor to seek out these opportunities. These advanced outcomes are only applicable to those working with us for 2 semesters or greater. 

Project details

Timing, eligibility and other details
Length of commitment long to year long (2 semesters can include breaks depending on student’s schedule) 
Start time Anytime 
In-person, remote, or hybrid? Hybrid Project 
Level of collaboration Small group project (2-3 students) 
Benefits Academic credit or Research Experience
Who is eligible Sophomores, Juniors & Seniors 

Project mentor

Amanda Ziegler

Research Assistant Professor

Family Medicine

Phone: (716) 816-7282

Email: amz9@buffalo.edu

Start the project

  1. Email the project mentor using the contact information above to express your interest and get approval to work on the project. (Here are helpful tips on how to contact a project mentor.)
  2. After you receive approval from the mentor to start this project, click the button to start the digital badge. (Learn more about ELN's digital badge options.) 
Start the Digital Badge

Preparation activities

Once you begin the digital badge series, you will have access to all the necessary activities and instructions. Your mentor has indicated they would like you to also complete the specific preparation activities below. Please reference this when you get to Step 2 of the Preparation Phase. 

Obtain CITI training: https://www.buffalo.edu/research/research-services/training/compliance-training.html

Keywords

teens, adolescents, eating behavior, diabetes, chronic disease prevention, health equity