Research Memo #1

Hypothesis: 

In America today, most of the students in high school are uneducated about type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is important to know because, based on statistics from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation,  in America alone, over 80 people a day are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. In my survey, I want to reveal most students in high school do not possess enough knowledge of type 1 diabetes to fully understand it. My hypothesis is that since there are not as many cases of diagnoses for type 1 diabetes versus other common diseases, the high school students do not understand the challenges that diabetics face.

Context:

In my survey of type 1 diabetes, I targeted teenagers and young adults because I wanted to prove my hypothesis. I chose these respondents because they are either about to go into high school, they are currently in high school, or they had just graduated. This group of respondents best fit my overall research question. They are not as concerned with type 1 diabetes versus someone who is older. The background information was thorough enough to assist the respondent in answering some of the questions. None of the respondents seemed confused with the survey. My questions were impartial enough to produce a variety of answers.

 Results:

Questions	Answers
Question 1: How old are you?	B –  11-20 years old
Question 2: Do you know someone with type 1 diabetes? Yes or No?	Yes – 22 No – 5
Question 3: Based on your knowledge, which age groups do you think are affected by type 1 diabetes the most?	Infants/Toddlers – 5 Childhood/teen years – 8 Young adult/middle aged – 9 Elderly - 5
Question 4: Why do you think these age group/groups are most affected?	--
Question 5: Check all that apply. Which of the following affects type 1 diabetes?	Family history – 20 Sugar intake – 19 Being overweight – 18 Other - 6
Question 6: True or false? Over 10% of Americans are affected by type 1 diabetes.	True – 25 False – 2
Question 7: True or false? Losing weight can reduce your chances of getting type 1 diabetes.	True – 21 False – 6
Question 8: On a scale of 1 to 5, with one being the least and 5 being the most, how prevalent is type 1 diabetes in America today?	2) – 3 3) – 15 4) – 6 5) – 3
Question 9: Should the government provide more funding for type 1 diabetes research versus other common diseases? Yes or no?	Yes – 24 No – 3
Question 10: Explain why you chose your answer below.	--

Data Analysis:

When reviewing my respondent's answer choices, I noticed 22 out of 27 people knew someone diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Twelve out of the twenty-two respondent’s who knew someone with type 1 diabetes either selected the right age group most associated with type 1 diabetes or were close. Of those twelve, seven answered correctly to weight loss affecting the chances of avoiding getting type 1 diabetes. Of those seven answered correctly, five agreed that the government should provide more funding for type 1 diabetes research versus other diseases. I found it interesting that, out of all my surveys, most rated diabetes third on a scale from one to five based on the level of importance. I gather from this information most teenagers and young adults who know someone who has type 1 diabetes understands more about this disease.

When asked which age groups are more affected, more people selected young adult to middle aged. The correct answers are infants and toddlers. I believe more of my respondents chose this answer because they interact more with people their own age or older. They know someone with type 1 diabetes who is 25 so they automatically associate 25 as the age that is most affected, when actually, that person could have been diagnosed at a much younger age.

Another possible explanation for the questions that my respondents missed is some of the individuals that took my survey might have gotten type 1 and type 2 diabetes mixed up. There are many similarities shared by type 1 and type 2. Type 1 diabetes is inherited and does not currently have a cure. Type 2 diabetes is obtained mostly by unhealthy eating habits and sugar and carbohydrate overdoses. Susceptibility for both of these diseases can be hereditary, but type 1 and type 2 are different and need to be dealt with differently.

Conclusion:

From my survey, I concluded that I was incorrect in my hypothesis. I was surprised with how the respondents knew some of the right answers or were at least close. This was apparent by the entirety of questions answered correctly. My questions were effective even though my hypothesis was not proven.

Follow up:

While collecting the first round of surveys, I looked over the respondent's answers and found that, so far, 100% had been all from the same age group, which was 11-20. I decided to make my research question more specific by only asking people who were within that same age group to take the remainder of my surveys. The question I will focus my efforts on is “why is type 1 diabetes so prevalent in America’s society today?” I will continue researching my topic and see where it leads.

Works Cited:

"Type 1 Diabetes (Juvenile Diabetes)." Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International. Web. 06 Mar. 2012. <http://www.jdrf.org/index.cfm?page_id=102585>.

"Diabetes Basics." Type 1. Web. 06 Mar. 2012. <http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/type-1/>.