Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit

SU, Upstate professors receive NIH grant to explore relationship between spousal support, managing diabetes

Friday, December 2, 2005, By News Staff
Share

SU, Upstate professors receive NIH grant to explore relationship between spousal support, managing diabetesDecember 02, 2005Carol K. Masiclatclkim@syr.edu

Can your better half help you to better health? Results from a pilot study conducted in 2003-04 by researchers from Syracuse University and Upstate Medical University suggest that patients with type-2 diabetes who have the support of their spouses in managing their diabetes may be able to get their blood sugar to healthier levels than those without that support. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has recently awarded the research team $456,000 to continue their work and expand it to a full two-year study, to begin in 2006.

“We are very grateful for the opportunity to see our intervention move forward at a level that it can touch the lives of more couples,” says Jonathan Sandberg, associate professor and chair of the department of Marriage and Family Therapy department in the College of Human Services and Health Professions at SU. “Through our pilot research and other interviews we have done with couples, we realize that couples’ ability to support each other in efforts to successfully manage diabetes is crucial. If there is conflict and strain around management issues, there can be both health and marital/relational consequences that are real and painful.”

Sandberg was a co-investigator on the pilot phase of Diabetes Partners Project, a research effort that explored the connection between spousal support and successful blood glucose level maintenance. The study was conducted in collaboration with Upstate Medical University investigators Dr. Paula M. Trief, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, and Dr. Ruth Weinstock, professor of medicine.

During the pilot study, Trief and Sandberg oversaw a series of interventions designed to improve the quality of support between diabetes patients and their spouses while at the same time reducing the harmful effects of diabetes. Participating couples were placed into three groups: couples involved in a telephone intervention, couples involved in a face-to-face intervention and a control group receiving usual care. The intervention couples participated in two marital communication skills sessions and four diabetes education sessions, learning about nutrition, exercise and diet planning.

The results revealed that telephone intervention participants fared the best in reducing their blood sugar levels by the end of the study. In the next phase of research, called the Diabetes Support Project, 55 couples will participate in the study, utilizing the telephone intervention method. The research team will compare the outcomes of patients who receive phone intervention individually to those receiving couples’ intervention and patients receiving the usual care.

Those interested in being considered as study subjects should contact Rebecca Brittain at 464-5723.

  • Author

News Staff

  • Recent
  • Biology and Earth and Environmental Sciences Departments Come Together on Diversity and Engagement Initiatives
    Tuesday, May 17, 2022, By News Staff
  • As the School of Education’s Italy Program Returns, Sara Jo Soldovieri ’18, G’19 Reflects on Its Influence
    Tuesday, May 17, 2022, By Martin Walls
  • Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising Team Helps Match Students With Unique Experiences That Enhance Their Studies
    Tuesday, May 17, 2022, By Jen Maser
  • COVID-19 Update: Public Health Protocols for Summer 2022
    Tuesday, May 17, 2022, By News Staff
  • New Law Scholarship Honors the Ongoing Legacy of the Hon. Theodore A. McKee L’75
    Tuesday, May 17, 2022, By Robert Conrad

More In Uncategorized

Syracuse Views Spring 2022

We want to know how you experience Syracuse University. Take a photo and share it with us. We select photos from a variety of sources. Submit photos of your University experience using #SyracuseU on social media, fill out a submission…

“Can Supermarket Design Really Impact What You Buy?”

Shelley Kohan, adjunct faculty member in the Whitman School, was interviewed for the VeryWell Mind story “Can Supermarket Design Really Impact What You Buy?” Kohan, a retail executive with 25 years of experience, explained that many grocery stores are following…

“COVID Truthers Have Found a New ‘Pandemic’ to Freak Out About”

Michael Barkun, professor emeritus of political science in the Maxwell School, was quoted in the Daily Beast story “COVID Truthers Have Found a New ‘Pandemic’ to Freak Out About.” Barkun, who is an expert on extremism and conspiracy theories, explained…

“With Elon Musk’s Twitter bid, there’s more at stake than freedom of speech: ‘It gives him a lot more influence over government'”

JM Grygiel, associate professor of communications in the Newhouse School, was quoted in the MarketWatch article “With Elon Musk’s Twitter bid, there’s more at stake than freedom of speech: ‘It gives him a lot more influence over government.’” Grygiel, who…

Koppl writes “Biden Establishes a Ministry of Truth”

Roger Koppl, professor of finance in the Whitman School, co-authored The Wall Street Journal opinion piece “Biden Establishes a Ministry of Truth.” The Department of Homeland Security recently announced the formation of the Disinformation Governance Board. The goal of the…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2022 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.