I am an Msc health psychology student conducting research into the factors that influence HbA1c levels in people with diabetes.
I am seeking people with diabetes to complete a short online survey related to your diabetes management and your general thoughts, feelings and attitudes on a day to day basis, as well as some demographic information.
I have also been diabetic for 20 years and am therefore trying extremely hard to conduct studies such as these to help improve diabetes management and understanding.
If you would like to participate or would like to find out more, please follow the link below. The information sheet will provide you with detailed information regarding the process of the study. http://sdu-surveys.herts.ac.uk/diabetes2
For further information please contact the researcher, Chloe Redshaw (details below).
Done. I second that on the results. I’ve always believed people’s attitude towards their diabetes affects their control, but it would be great to see what a proper analysis says.
Hi everyone! Thank u for completing the survey really appreciate it!..i only realised the almost and never being in a separate column after i had launched the link and i can’t edit it ..perhaps i could use my blood sugar being high as an excuse haha!
Of course i will be happy to upload the results..it wont all be analyses etc until mid september…i have also reviewed work on the gender differences between diabetics and and text messaging as an intervention for reminding and encouraging adolscent diabetics if anyone is interested in any of that!
@diabeticpsychologist – I had real difficulty with the question regarding “recommendations” since I can’t remember the last time I received any recommendations of the type you list (other than “don’t forget your next appointment”). I hope it doesn’t mess up your results but recommendations just don’t happen (to me, at least) in the way your question implies.
I look forward to seeing the results.
oh no don’t worry it shouldn’t …it is taken from an already established self-care schedule….i think to be honest it’s just trying to get across if you take very goiod care of yourself and do the correct things
The recommendations stuff is something I always struggle with too @nigho. My guy reaction to questions about whether I follow my insulin regime as instructed is to start a long rant about how I decide and implement my own insulin regime based on my own experience, I don’t blindly do as I’m told. But then I calm down a bit and try to look at what the question’s getting at, and settle on saying “yes” because I do follow the recommendations, it just happens to be me that makes them. The question does seem to assume a disempowered, compliant patient though, rather than an independent, well informed patient making their own decisions.
I tend to veer towards the school of thouht that recommendations are just that – recommendations. Not rules or instructions, but rather suggestions. I take on board recommendations, then go away and make my own decisions as to what I do (often not what the recommendation says, because they are the ‘one size fits all’ type of thing).
I keep the Madagascar penguins in mind – ‘Just smile and wave boys, just smile and wave.’
@alison – weren’t you a kangaroo at one stage? Are you climbing the rungs of the animal kingdom until you finally reach the ultimate level? (Although I think possibly penguins might be that top level…)
the point about reccomendations is definitely something i will bring up when discussing my results…when i read it i kind of skipped the word reccomendations and interpreted it as “following medication regimes that give me the best outcome” …as my nurse told me to administer 1 uni for every ten carbs….i have to give myself 5 in the morning for my 6g carb yoghurt!
seems there are lots of grumpy diabetics out there! a lot of forums have said i can’t post my study on there..some saying “they have not got time for me to post it!? they sit and moan about their diabetes but dont have time for someone who is trying to help make diabetes life better!!! grrrr rant over!
@diabeticpsychologist Ah, some people are very precious about their forums and don’t like “outsiders” posting stuff; however, being liberal sandal-wearing, yoghurt-eating, organic-t-shirt-wearing Guardian readers here we have a more free and easy attitude (unless you’re like that Nazi guy I had to ban a few months ago…!)
haha i cant tell if you are joking…did u really have a nazi diabetic lol!?? hmm one email i received back was quite rude..i got a bit teary..but then realised my blood sugar was low and therefore was being a bit too over emotional!! …he told me my post would not be appropriate for his forum as it was more about what people could do with their diabetes in relation to food and in future to ensure i use subject heading when messaging people!…i considered sending him a bundle of emails back all with no subject heading on..but then decided i am far too mature for that lol
@diabeticpsychologist – I never joke (well, I’m certainly never funny). The Nazi guy was saying that poor diabetes care in the UK was due to too many immigrants and that sort of guff. He was an idiot; and as this place is a benign dictatorship not a democracy (see our legals: http://www.shootuporputup.co.uk/resources/the-legals/) I booted him off the site! Hurrah!
I think that, in general, you need a great deal of patience to run a public forum and I can see why some admins get stroppy – there’s an endless stream of spam, emails from marketing companies asking us to plug stuff (see: http://www.shootuporputup.co.uk/about-us/tips-for-agencies-contacting-shoot-up/) and what-not. Thankfully a) Alison & I have endless patience and b) Shoot Up is populated exclusively by lovely people – the idiots haven’t found us yet!
Quite how this thread has turned into a gentle rant about other forums I don’t know…
i am aware i am far to sensitive! haha
i see a lot of stuff on some forums trying to sell ” the miracle cure”..the advertisements usually starts with something along the lines of “my great aunt suffered in for years until she drank cow urine..and now she is cured of diabetes!!!”..i personally think we should all give it a try!!