# Behavioral adherence in emerging adults with type 2 diabetes: Ancillary study

> **NIH NIH R01** · UPSTATE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $599,865

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Type 2 diabetes in youth is a growing public health concern, with evidence that it is even more serious in youth
than in adults, and a serious concern in minority and poor communities. A large clinical trial, known as
TODAY, has been ongoing and will continue for 5 years. In the TODAY study, youth with type 2 diabetes were
treated using three different treatment regimens. Now they are being followed every year to learn how their
disease progresses and what factors contribute to poor outcomes (TODAY2). When TODAY started, these
youth were less than 18 years of age, but now most of them are considered to be “emerging adults,” in a phase
of life during which these young adults must manage many changes, in addition to a serious disease. This
study is designed to better understand the challenges and barriers to engaging in healthy behaviors these
emerging adults with type 2 diabetes face, especially challenges in taking their medications, and attending
healthcare visits. Our specific aims are to develop a full and rich understanding of factors related to medication
adherence and healthcare visit attendance, and their relationship to diabetes health outcomes. We will recruit
TODAY2 participants (N=350) to take part in this ancillary study at their annual TODAY2 visit. If they agree to
participate, they will complete questionnaires (about their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors), participate in
unannounced pill counts (to measure their medication adherence), and agree to share other information that is
routinely gathered for the TODAY2 study (for example, their blood glucose control levels). They will be
assessed two times, one year apart. A subset of them (n=60) will also participate in interviews with trained
research staff to describe their experience of living with type 2 diabetes. These data and themes that emerge
from the interviews will provide important insights into how they cope and manage their diabetes. By
understanding emerging adults with type 2 diabetes better, we will move towards the long term objectives of
being able to provide meaningful guidance for the development of interventions that can help them achieve
successful diabetes self-management, and for the public policies to support them.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9882253
- **Project number:** 5R01DK110456-04
- **Recipient organization:** UPSTATE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** PAULA MARY TRIEF
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $599,865
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-04-01 → 2022-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9882253

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9882253, Behavioral adherence in emerging adults with type 2 diabetes: Ancillary study (5R01DK110456-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9882253. Licensed CC0.

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