Helping East African children and young adults with type 1 diabetes keep blood sugar in a healthy range

Diabetes in African Youth: Improving Glucose Time-In-Range

NIH-funded research University of Minnesota · NIH-11386561

This project gives flash continuous glucose monitors to young people with type 1 diabetes in East Africa to help them spend more time with blood sugar in a healthy range compared with regular fingerstick checks.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionUniversity of Minnesota NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Minneapolis, United States)
Project IDNIH-11386561 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

You would join a randomized trial for people aged 4–26 years with type 1 diabetes in East Africa. All participants get monthly diabetes education and are followed for outcomes; half receive unblinded flash continuous glucose monitors so they can view real-time glucose, while the other half do fingerstick checking at least three times daily and wear a blinded CGM for outcome measurement. The study includes about 180 participants (90 per group) and measures the percent time blood glucose is between 70–180 mg/dL and time spent in hypoglycemia. The researchers will also look at whether providing CGM is cost effective in a low-resource setting.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates are children and young adults aged 4–26 years with type 1 diabetes who live in the East African study area and can attend monthly visits.

Not a fit: People without type 1 diabetes, those outside the 4–26 age range, or individuals who are not located in the East African study region would not be eligible and likely would not benefit directly from participating.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could increase the amount of time young people spend with blood sugar in a safe range and reduce dangerous highs and lows, potentially improving short- and long-term health in low-resource settings.

How similar studies have performed: Continuous glucose monitoring has improved time-in-range in many studies from high-income countries, but randomized data and cost-effectiveness information are limited for low-resource East African settings.

Where this research is happening

Minneapolis, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.