SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth

The SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth (SEARCH) study was initiated in 2000 to address major knowledge gaps in the understanding of childhood diabetes. The SEARCH study (SEARCH 1-3) was conducted at five sites across the U.S. and established a longitudinal cohort to assess the natural history and risk factors for acute and chronic diabetes-related complications as well as the quality of care and quality of life of persons with diabetes from diagnosis into young adulthood. The cohort study (SEARCH 4) was developed by recruiting incident cases in 2002 to 2006, 2008, and 2012 that had a baseline visit near diagnosis and at least 5 years of diabetes duration at the cohort visit assessment. In the first two phases of SEARCH (SEARCH 1 and 2), individuals newly diagnosed with diabetes in 2002– 2006 and 2008 were recruited for a baseline research visit. Incident cases from 2002–2005 were also asked to return for visits at 12, 24, and 60 months after their baseline visit to measure risk factors for diabetes complications. In the third phase (SEARCH 3), a subset of SEARCH participants with a duration of diabetes >5 years were recruited for an outcome visit between 2011 and 2015. In addition, individuals incident in 2012 were invited for a baseline visit. In the fourth phase (SEARCH 4), a subset of SEARCH participants aged >10 years with at least 5 years of diabetes duration were invited to another study visit between 2015 and 2019. Those invited to the in-person research visit included all individuals with type 2 diabetes, all non-Whites, and a random sample of non-Hispanic Whites with type 1 diabetes.