# Function and Emotion in Everyday Life with Type 1 Diabetes: FEEL-T1D

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · 2021 · $810,109

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Emotional well-being and everyday life function are important outcomes for people with type 1 diabetes (T1D)
and are robust contributors to overall quality of life. Various indicators of emotional distress (e.g., negative
mood, depressive symptoms, diabetes distress) are elevated in people with T1D. Likewise, function, or the
ability to perform necessary or desired daily life activities, is also adversely impacted: symptoms of hypo- and
hyperglycemia and T1D self-management tasks can disrupt participation in everyday work, leisure, and social
activities among people with T1D. While acute blood glucose levels and variability are thought to contribute to
diminished function and well-being in people with T1D, these relationships are poorly understood. Diabetes
research to date has primarily relied on global, retrospective measures of blood glucose, function and
emotional well-being that cannot capture their complex dynamic relationships as they unfold in everyday life
contexts. To overcome this limitation, the Function and Emotion in Everyday Life with Type 1 Diabetes (FEEL-
T1D) study is the first large-scale study to integrate continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), accelerometry, and
ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to disentangle the short-term dynamic relationships between blood
glucose, function, and emotional well-being in adults with type 1 diabetes.
In the FEEL-T1D study, 200 adults with T1D will complete a baseline survey battery followed by 14 days of
intensive longitudinal data collection using blinded CGM coupled with EMA surveys, ambulatory cognitive
tasks, and accelerometer wear. These tools will be used to assess blood glucose, emotional well-being (stress,
positive and negative affect, diabetes distress), function (self-reported activity performance, objective cognitive
function, physical activity), and covariates that may moderate or confound the relationships of interest. Multiple
metrics characterizing blood glucose (acute glucose level, glycemic excursions, glycemic variability, and %
time in glycemic ranges) will be derived from CGM data to determine which have the most pronounced
relationships with well-being and function on both a short-term and day-to-day basis. By clarifying which
metrics of blood glucose are most closely related to clinical and patient-reported outcomes, these analyses will
be foundational to the individualization of treatment recommendations and lead to the development of
innovative just-in-time adaptive interventions to address the most potent predictors of health and well-being.
The study's specific aims are as follows: Aim 1: Understand within-person dynamic relationships between
blood glucose metrics, function, and emotional well-being through multi-level time-series analyses using CGM,
EMA, and accelerometer data. Aim 2: Examine moderators of short-term and daily relationships, such as
demographics, clinical characteristics, and HbA1c, between blood glucose metrics, functio...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10135940
- **Project number:** 5R01DK121298-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
- **Principal Investigator:** JEFFREY S GONZALEZ
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $810,109
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-04-01 → 2023-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10135940

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10135940, Function and Emotion in Everyday Life with Type 1 Diabetes: FEEL-T1D (5R01DK121298-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10135940. Licensed CC0.

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