DISCOVERY of Risk Factors For Type 2 Diabetes In Youth

Type 2 diabetes used to be known as “adult-onset” diabetes and was thought to mostly affect people later in life. Now, more children are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Rates of type 2 diabetes among children and adolescents are increasing rapidly over time. Currently, we do not understand why rates of type 2 diabetes is increasing in children. The DISCOVERY Study seeks to understand what factors cause some children to develop type 2 diabetes while others don’t. With your help, we can gain the knowledge to develop better ways to help us prevent type 2 diabetes in more children!

What is DISCOVERY?

The DISCOVERY of Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes in Youth Study is a national effort to learn about the causes of type 2 diabetes in children. It is a multi-center study at 15 locations across the United States.
The study is for children 9-14 years old who may be at higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes because of high body mass index, family history of diabetes, or other factors.

The study involves clinic visits, questionnaires, and health monitoring over approximately 2 to 4 years. There are no medications involved in this study. Participants and parents will receive compensation for their time. Your participation can help us discover how to prevent type 2 diabetes in young people in the future.

Who Qualifies for the Study (Enrollment Criteria)?

The requirements to participate in the Screening part of the study are:

• Girls who are between 9- and 13-years-olds
• Boys who are between 10- and 14-years-olds
• Children and teens who have elevated weight with body mass index (BMI) greater than 85th percentile. Child and Teen BMI Calculator 

If your child meets these requirements, we would like to talk with you to see if you are interested in your child being screened for the study. Both the child and parent/guardian must agree and provide consent to join. To determine if you qualify for the study, there might be one or two visits.

For more information, please complete this form DISCOVERY Interest Questionnaire or contact us at 713-798-6791 or discovery@bcm.edu.