Family Survey Research Articles

Quality of End-of-Life Care for Vietnam Veterans: Implications for Practice and Policy

In federal response to the aging population of Vietnam-era Veterans, Congress directed the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to create a pilot program to identify and develop best practices for improving hospice care for this population. A first step in VA’s response was to identify whether the end-of-life (EOL) care needs and outcomes of Vietnam-era Veterans differed from previous generations. Using medical records and bereaved family surveys, we examined clinical characteristics, healthcare utilization, and EOL quality indicators for Vietnam-era Veterans who died in VA inpatient settings between 2013-17. Contemporaneous comparisons were made with World War II/Korean War-era Veterans. Compared to prior generations, higher percentages of Vietnam-era Veterans had mental health/substance use diagnoses and disability. Similar percentages of family members in both groups reported that overall EOL care was excellent; however, post-traumatic stress disorder management ratings by families of Vietnam-era Veterans were significantly lower. Although current VA EOL practices are largely meeting the needs of Vietnam-era Veterans, greater focus on mental health comorbidity, including post-traumatic stress disorder, Agent Orange-related conditions, and ensuring access to quality EOL care in the community is warranted. Policymakers and healthcare professionals should anticipate more physical and mental health comorbidities among Veterans at EOL as Vietnam-era Veterans continue to age. Findings are being used to inform the development of standardized EOL care protocols and training programs for non-VA healthcare providers that are tailored to the needs of this population.

Provision of urea–molasses blocks to improve smallholder cattle weight gain during the late dry season in tropical developing countries: studies from Lao PDR

Context Large-ruminant production in developing countries is inefficient with low growth rates and declining weights, particularly in the dry season. Aims The impact of ad libitum supplementation of cattle with high-quality molasses blocks (20 kg) containing either 8% urea (UMB) or nil urea (MB), was examined. Methods Field trials on smallholder farms compared weight changes and average daily gains (ADG = g/day) data of young calves <8 months of age (n = 25); growing calves 8–24 months (n = 35) and lactating cows (n = 46), of the indigenous breed when accessing either UMB or MB, with data being collected at Weeks 1, 4, 8 and 12. A pen study was also conducted at a research station involving mature, lactating crossbred cows (n = 37). Surveys of farming families experiencing use of the blocks was conducted (n = 20). Key results On smallholder farms, animals accessing UMBs were heavier than those accessing MBs at every collection day and in young calves these differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). ADGs were higher in cattle accessing UMB than in those accessing MBs. Young calves had the highest ADG (251–265 g/day), followed by growing calves (198–237 g/day) and lactating cows (187–190 g/day), although differences in ADG between UMB and MB cohorts were not considered significant (young calves P = 0.562; growing calves P = 0.509; and lactating cows P = 0.993). Results from the pen study identified that ADGs were not significantly different (P = 0.933) between crossbred cows accessing MBs (236 g/day) and cows accessing UMBs (229 g/day). Surveys of farmers using blocks confirmed that their animals were calmer and healthier, and had better coat condition with minimal external parasites; these farmers wished to purchase the blocks and were willing to pay a mean up to US$6.5 ± 2.3 per block. Conclusions Provision of UMBs and MBs in Laos in the late dry season improved cattle growth rates, which is consistent with previous studies and far superior to the base-line data from Laos demonstrating declining ADGs. Farmers considered that the blocks contributed greatly to herd management and improved sale-ability of their cattle. Implications Provision of molasses blocks on low-input smallholder farms in developing countries significantly improves production efficiency, offering an ‘entry point’ intervention while forages are becoming established.

Comparison of Use of Health Care Services and Spending for Unauthorized Immigrants vs Authorized Immigrants or US Citizens Using a Machine Learning Model

Knowledge about use of health care services (health care utilization) and expenditures among unauthorized immigrant populations is uncertain because of limitations in ascertaining legal status in population data. To examine health care utilization and expenditures that are attributable to unauthorized and authorized immigrants vs US-born individuals. This cross-sectional study used the data on documentation status from the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey (LAFANS) to develop a random forest classifier machine learning model. K-fold cross-validation was used to test model performance. The LAFANS is a randomized, multilevel, in-person survey of households residing in Los Angeles County, California, consisting of 2 waves. Wave 1 began in April 2000 and ended in January 2002, and wave 2 began in August 2006 and ended in December 2008. The machine learning model was then applied to a nationally representative database, the 2016-2017 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), to predict health care expenditures and utilization among unauthorized and authorized immigrants and US-born individuals. A generalized linear model analyzed health care expenditures. Logistic regression modeling estimated dichotomous use of emergency department (ED), inpatient, outpatient, and office-based physician visits by immigrant groups with adjusting for confounding factors. Data were analyzed from May 1, 2019, to October 14, 2020. Self-reported immigration status (US-born, authorized, and unauthorized status). Annual health care expenditures per capita and use of ED, outpatient, inpatient, and office-based physician care. Of 47 199 MEPS respondents with nonmissing data, 35 079 (74.3%) were US born, 10 816 (22.9%) were authorized immigrants, and 1304 (2.8%) were unauthorized immigrants (51.7% female; mean age, 47.6 [95% CI, 47.4-47.8] years). Compared with authorized immigrants and US-born individuals, unauthorized immigrants were more likely to be aged 18 to 44 years (80.8%), Latino (96.3%), and Spanish speaking (95.2%) and to have less than 12 years of education (53.7%). Half of unauthorized immigrants (47.1%) were uninsured compared with 15.9% of authorized immigrants and 6.0% of US-born individuals. Mean annual health care expenditures per person were $1629 (95% CI, $1330-$1928) for unauthorized immigrants, $3795 (95% CI, $3555-$4035) for authorized immigrants, and $6088 (95% CI, $5935-$6242) for US-born individuals. Contrary to much political discourse in the US, this cross-sectional study found no evidence that unauthorized immigrants are a substantial economic burden on safety net facilities such as EDs. This study illustrates the value of machine learning in the study of unauthorized immigrants using large-scale, secondary databases.

Can parents do it all? Changes in parent involvement from 1997 to 2009 among Head Start families

• We examined whether parental involvement changed among Head Start families from 1997 to 2009. • Parents were found to increase their involvement in the home between 1997 and 2009. • In contrast, parents reported significantly less engagement in Head Start. • Changes in involvement were comparable for different groups of children and families. The present investigation considered the extent to which parental involvement in the home and school changed among low-income families with preschoolers between 1997 and 2009. Data were drawn from five waves of the Family and Child Experiences Survey, which included a total sample of 12,248 3- and 4-year-old first time Head Start attendees. Results from covariate adjusted regression models revealed that, across this 12-year period, parents of Head Start children increased their involvement in the home, especially in terms of cognitively stimulating activities. However, parents also reported significantly less engagement in the Head Start program over this period. These changes in parental involvement across time were comparable for different groups of children and families. Taken together, study findings highlight the changing nature of parental involvement among Head Start families during a critical period that witnessed heightened investment in children and families.

Does the Early Bird Catch the Worm? Evidence and Interpretation on the Long-Term Impact of School Entry Age in China

The long-term economic impact of children's age at primary school entry on educational attainment and labor market outcomes is one of the primary concerns to families, educators, and policymakers. Using a nationally representative survey of families and individuals, this paper is the first to explore these effects in a causal sense in the Chinese context and understand the underlying mechanisms. We use a regression discontinuity (RD) design that employs the threshold date for primary school entry set by the 1986 Compulsory Education Law of China as a source of exogenous variation in the timing of school entry. We first document a salient and robust compliance rate of school entry requirement. RD estimates indicate that being born right after the cutoff date significantly increases years of schooling and log annual earnings for non-agricultural jobs for the full sample. We also observe remarkable heterogeneous effects on labor market performance by gender. Being born right after the cutoff increases the probability of being in the labor force for men, but decreases that for women. Further evidence suggests that the decline in the female labor force participation can be explained by supply-side factors including fertility decision and childcare provision.

The Impact of Childhood and Adult Educational Attainment and Economic Status on Later Depressive Symptoms and Its Intergenerational Effect.

This study aimed to investigate a process accounting for the socioeconomic inequality in depressive symptoms from generation to generation. To examine the process, this study utilized data from three generations of grandparents, mothers, and daughters. This study employed data from the Korean Longitudinal Survey of Women and Families, collected from a large-scale national representative sample in South Korea. Conducting pathway analysis, the study tested direct and indirect pathways between mother’s socioeconomic status (SES) experienced in childhood and their offspring’s depressive symptoms through maternal SES and depressive symptoms in adulthood. This study found that early economic hardship increased the risk of depressive symptoms in daughters through maternal low education and depressive symptoms (β = 0.03, p < 0.05), which was consistent with the theoretical framework, which relied on a life-course model highlighting that early life experiences affect later adult health and can potentially have effects across generations. This finding suggests that interventions that work with maternal education and depression may benefit from efforts to break the likelihood of continuity of depressive symptoms into the next generation, especially for their own daughters.

Spanish translation and adaptation of a family quality‐of‐life survey for families of people with a neurodegenerative disease

AbstractBackgroundOne of the main objectives of NEUROQUALYFAM Project is to assess the quality of life and the needs of support of families of people with a neurodegerative disease (ND) in Spain. For this purpose, The Family Quality of Life Survey‐Adapted for Main Caregivers of Persons with Dementia (FQoLS; DiZazzo‐Miller &amp; Samuel, 2011) has been translated and adapted to the Spanish context.MethodThe “International Test Commission guidelines for test translation and adaptation” were taken into account, thus considering the following phases: 1) Two initial and independent translations of FQoLS; 2) Review and synthesis of the translations; 3) Focus groups with families of people with a ND, as well as with health, social and third sector professionals, in order to assess the relevance, clarity and appropriateness of items; 4) Synthesis and agreement by a committee of experts; 5) Backtranslation and comparison with the original items; 6) Pilot study of the consensual version with a sample of families with an individual with a ND.ResultAfter the translation and adaptation process, the comprehension and appropriateness of items and response options in the preliminary version were verified. The application of the final version of the instrument and the assessment of its psychometric properties will be conducted in a subsequent phase of the study.ConclusionPreliminary results indicate that the instrument has been successfully translated and adapted to the Spanish context. Moreover, this questionnaire seems to be a useful tool for assessing the quality of life of families of patients with ND as well as for designing intervention strategies aimed to optimize support resources and improve families’ health and wellbeing outcomes.ReferenceDiZazzo‐Miller, R., Samuel, P.S. (2011). Family Quality of Life Survey: Main Caregivers of Persons with Dementia. Detroit, MI, USA: Wayne State University.

Telemedicine for contraceptive counseling: An exploratory survey of US family planning providers following rapid adoption of services during the COVID-19 pandemic

ObjectiveDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, many clinicians started offering telemedicine services. The objective of this study is to describe the experience of US family planning providers with the rapid adoption of telemedicine for contraceptive counseling during this period. Study designThis is a cross-sectional web-based survey of family planning providers practicing in the United States. ResultsA total of 172 providers completed the survey (34% response rate). Of these, 156 (91%) provided telemedicine services in the 2 months preceding the survey. Most (78%) were new to telemedicine. About half (54%) referred less than a quarter of contraception patients for in-person visits, and 53% stated that the most common referral reason was long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) insertion. A majority of providers strongly agree that telemedicine visits are an effective way to provide contraceptive counseling (80%), and that this service should be expanded after the pandemic (84%). If asked to provide telemedicine visits after the pandemic, 64% of providers would be very happy about it. Many providers used personal phones or smartphones to conduct telemedicine visits but stated that ideal devices would be work-issued computers, tablets, or phones. More than half (59%) of providers prefer video over phone visits. ConclusionsFamily planning clinicians in the United States reported a positive experience with telemedicine for contraceptive counseling during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic and believe that this service should be expanded. Clinicians seem to prefer using work-issued devices and conducting video rather than phone visits. ImplicationsTelemedicine is a promising option for providing contraceptive counseling even beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. An investment in hospital or clinic-issued devices that allow for video conferencing may optimize clinicians’ telemedicine experience.

Neighborhood social environments, healthy resources, and adult diabetes: Accounting for activity space exposures.

This study broadens contextual environments to include adults' activity spaces-inside and outside the residential neighborhood-to examine how contextual exposures shape type 2 diabetes risk. We use novel longitudinal data from the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey, construct time-weighted exposure measures of adults' social-structural and healthy resource environments, and execute random effects logistic models predicting the probability of being diabetic. Results indicate that residential and activity space exposures are independently associated with adult diabetes, and that residential and activity space healthy resources combine to influence diabetes risk in synergistic ways. Living in more socioeconomically advantaged neighborhoods reduces diabetes risk, particularly when spending time in activity spaces with greater access to recreational facilities. Moreover, healthier activity space environments may compensate for living in neighborhoods devoid of healthy food options to lessen diabetes risk. Adopting an activity space framework can inform multilevel interventions aimed at alleviating type 2 diabetes and other chronic ailments.

Families' perspectives on monitoring infants' health and development after discharge from NICUs.

Based on a survey of families of very preterm infants, Seppanen et al report that: 1) parents rated post-discharge (post-NICU) care as poor or fair for 14.2% of children; 2) parents of one-third of children with health or developmental disorders rated their child’s post-hospital care as poor or fair, as compared to 12–13% of parents of typically developing and healthy children; and 3) parents’ suggestions for ways to improve post-hospital care focused primarily on better communication between the health care team and parents and better coordination of the child’s care. These findings point to a large opportunity for improving post-NICU services for infants born very preterm, especially for children with health or developmental disorders. In addition to gathering more information about families’ perspectives, vigorous quality improvement methods should be applied to improve the effectiveness of post-NICU clinics and the health and development outcomes of the infants and families served by these clinics.

Near-infrared spectroscopy of the Sulamitis asteroid family: Surprising similarities in the inner belt primitive asteroid population

We present NIR spectra of 19 asteroids in the Sulamitis family as part of our survey of primitive inner belt asteroid families. The spectra were obtained with NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility and the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo between January 2017 and February 2020. We find spectral homogeneity in our sample despite the diversity within the family observed at visible wavelengths. The average Sulamitis spectrum is flat with a spectral slope of 0.89 ± 0.26%/1000 Å between 0.95 and 2.3 μm. We show that the Sulamitis family is spectrally similar to other inner belt families in the NIR, despite differences between families seen in the visible wavelength range. We also compare our obtained spectra with asteroids (101955) Bennu and (162173) Ryugu to show that the Sulamitis family is a plausible source of Ryugu.

Utilization of Private Sector Family Planning Services in Malaysia.

The private sector is playing an increasingly important role in family planning services globally. The active participation of private providers is associated with a higher contraceptive prevalence rate. To examine the differentials and determinants of the utilization of private providers for family planning services. This study used the 2014 Malaysian Population and Family Survey data. Cross-tabulations and logistic regression were performed on 1,817 current users of modern methods. Overall, 26% of modern method users obtained their supplies from private clinics/pharmacies and 15.2% from other sources, such as drug stores and sundry shops. The odds of utilizing the private sector for family planning services differ significantly across regions and socio-economic groups. The odds of obtaining supply from the private clinics/pharmacies were higher among the Chinese and urban women (AOR > 1), and it was lower among those from the eastern region (AOR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.30-0.73). Non-Bumiputera, urban, higher educated, and working women, and those whose husbands decided on family planning had higher odds of obtaining the supply from the other sources (AOR > 1). The private sector complements and supplements the public sector in providing family planning services to the public.

Dorado and its member galaxies

Context. Dorado is a nearby, rich and clumpy galaxy group that extends for several degrees in the southern hemisphere. Although several studies have been dedicated to defining its members, their kinematics, and the hot and cold gas content, in particular H I, their present star formation activity remains unknown. Aims. For the first time, we map the Hα distribution as a possible indicator of the star formation activity of Dorado members, a large fraction of which show interaction and merging signatures independently of their morphological type. Methods. With the 2.5 m du Pont and the 1m Swope telescopes, we obtained narrow-band calibrated images of 14 galaxies that form the backbone of the group, mapping Hα+[N II] down to a few 10−17 erg cm−2 s−1 arcsec−2. We estimated the galaxy star formation rate from the Hα fluxes and corrected for Galaxy foreground extinction and [N II] contamination. Results. We detected Hα+[N II] emission in all galaxies. H II regions clearly emerge in late-type galaxies, while in early-type galaxies the Hα+[N II] emission is dominated by [N II], especially in the central regions. However, H II complexes are revealed in four early-type galaxies. Even in the compact group SGC 0414-5559, in the projected centre of Dorado, H II regions are found both throughout the late-type galaxies and in the very outskirts of early-type members. Considering the Dorado group as a whole, we notice that the Hα+[N II] equivalent width, a measure of the specific star formation, increases with morphological type from early- to late-type members, although it remains lower than that observed in similar surveys of spiral galaxies. The star formation rate of the spiral members is in the range of what is observed in similar galaxies surveys (James et al., 2004). However, in three spiral galaxies, NGC 1536, PGC 75125, and IC 2058, the star formation rate is well below the median for their morphological classes. Conversely, the star formation rate of some early-type members tends to be higher than the average derived from Hα+[N II] surveys of this morphological family. Conclusions. We detected Hα+[N II] in all the early-type galaxies observed and half of them show H II regions in well-shaped rings as well as in their outskirts. These findings suggest that early-type galaxies in this group are not dead galaxies: their star formation has not yet shut down. Mechanisms such as gas stripping and gas accretion through galaxy–galaxy interaction seem relevant in modifying star formation in this evolutionary phase of Dorado.

Improving Neonatal Follow-up: A Quality Improvement Study Analyzing In-hospital Interventions and Long-term Show Rates

Participants included neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) physicians, physician extenders, registered nurses, and parents of preterm patients admitted to the NICU who qualified for NFU. Our 75-bed NICU is the regional perinatal center within an urban free-standing children's hospital. Our bundle included NICU provider education, discharge planning, and parent education. A tracking system was developed to identify qualifying patients to streamline workflow. The monthly first visit show rate improved from 60% to 76% during the intervention period. Seventy-five percent of families who received parent education presented for their initial visit, compared to 51% of families who did not receive parent education. In anonymous surveys of families who presented for their initial visits, 95% indicated that bedside education played the most important role in appointment attendance. Interdisciplinary rounds are crucial for reaching all families before discharge. Implementing a multidimensional in-hospital education bundle and tracking system is feasible and can improve NFU clinic show rates, but may require dedicated personnel for sustainability.

Understanding the Consequences of Migration for Asset Accumulation: A Multi-Site and Intergenerational Perspective

This article is the first to explore the consequences of migration for asset accumulation from a multi-site and intergenerational perspective that moves beyond the prevailing migrant versus “native” comparisons performed within single destination-country contexts. It specifically investigates the non-financial investments (i.e., house, land, and business-related asset holdings) made in the country of residence by three family generations of migrants with origins in Turkey: those who resided in Europe (i.e., settlers), those who moved to Turkey (i.e., returnees), and those who remained in the origin country (i.e., stayers). The data are drawn from the 2000 Families Survey, which involved personal interviews with 5,980 individuals nested within 1,770 families. The analysis shows that migration’s greatest economic beneficiaries are returnees, who display a significant tendency to accumulate the most assets across all generations and asset types. Across all three groups, intergenerational family transfers are found to make a positive difference to younger generations’ non-financial investments. The chances of reaping the benefits of such transfers, however, is shown to be particularly limited for the descendants of settlers, given this group’s propensity to accumulate the fewest (especially house and land type) non-financial assets in European destinations where they reside. Through these unique multi-site and intergenerational comparisons between migrants and stayers, this article sheds new light upon the little-explored relationship between international migration and asset accumulation, and the economic dis/benefits of migration.

The Status of Family Resilience: Effects of Sustainable Livelihoods in Rural China

Family resilience is the capacity of a family to mitigate adversity using its resources, structure, and internal connections. In rural China, where sustainable livelihoods are changing rapidly because of urbanization and migration, it is not clear how family resilience interacts with sustainability of livelihoods. This study of rural Chinese families classifies individual’s perceived family resilience and discusses how sustainable livelihoods influence this classification. A multilevel survey of rural families reveals three categories of perceived resilience in families: perceived optimistic families, perceived cooperative families, and perceived pessimistic families. Sustainable livelihoods, including natural, social, financial, and human capitals, have significant impacts on this classification of perceived family resilience. We conclude that rural families in China vary in their levels of family resilience, and the more physical and financial capital they have, the more internal cooperation there is within families. The more natural and traditional social capital families have, the less internal cooperation there is within families. The more human resources families have, the more resilience they have.

Effects of the Sumatran forest fires (haze) on cognitive function in Indonesian children

Background: Smoke from the seasonal forest fires that occur on the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan (often referred to as ‘haze’ in South-East Asia) can reach hazardous levels for extended periods of time. This poses severe health risks to tens of millions of people. We aimed to determine if living in a haze affected province is associated with cognitive function in Indonesian children.Methods: We used data from the Indonesian Family and Life Survey (IFLS) that assessed cognitive function by the Ravens Colored Progressive Matrices (RCPM). Spatially resolved levels of particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter (PM2.5) throughout Indonesia were downloaded from the Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group. We used multilevel mixed linear regression models to estimate associations between haze and annual mean PM2.5 concentrations and cognitive function.Results: There were no differences in RCPM scores for children living in haze provinces compared to children living in non-haze provinces in adjusted models (mean difference=-1.16%, 95%CI=-2.53%, 0.21%) in each survey wave. For children who completed cognitive tests in two successive survey waves, scores on the second RCPM were lower for children who had lived in a haze province all their lives compared to those children who had lived in a non-haze province all their lives (β=-1.50%; 95%CI:-2.94%, -0.07%).Conclusions: Living in a haze province for a prolonged period of time negatively impacted childhood cognitive scores after adjusting for individual factors. These findings may also be relevant for (mainly) women and young children exposed to high levels of household air pollution.

Perceptions of Families of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder during the COVID-19 Crisis.

Caring for an individual with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in ideal circumstances can be stressful, and the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic created a high degree of disruption to life and stress to families living with an individual with ASD. We conducted an online survey of families in Michigan that revealed higher levels of stress in caregivers of younger individuals with ASD and those with greater severity of ASD symptoms. Stress around therapeutic service disruption, finances, and illness predominated and greater stress was reported for caregivers of individuals receiving greater intensity of services pre-COVID-19. Respondents voiced concerns about receiving respite care during COVID-19, and those expressing interest in respite also reported greater symptom severity in the person with ASD.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s10803-020-04760-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

“That is Care That you Just can't fake!”: Identifying Best Practices for the Care of Vietnam Veterans at End of Life

ContextWe reviewed the Veterans Health Administration Bereaved Family Survey's open-ended responses to understand end-of-life (EOL) care best practices for Vietnam and pre-Vietnam Veterans. ObjectivesTo identify 1) recommendations for improved EOL care enhancements for older Veterans, 2) a model of best practices in EOL care for Veterans, and 3) any relevant differences in best practices between Vietnam and prior war eras. MethodsWe examined five years of Bereaved Family Survey data (n = 2784), collected between 2013 and 2017, from bereaved family members of Veterans focusing on 2 open-ended questions: 1) Is there anything else you would like to share about the Veteran's care during his last month of life? 2) Is there anything else you would like to share about how the care could have been improved for the Veteran? Applied thematic analysis identified successes and challenges in the experience of the bereaved of Vietnam and pre-Vietnam era Veterans. ResultsRegardless of war era and death venue, a patient-centered approach to EOL care with readily available staff who could 1) provide ongoing support, comfort, honor, and validation; 2) routinely adjust to the patient's changing needs; 3) and provide clear, honest, timely, compassionate communication was important to the bereaved. Consideration of the uniqueness of Vietnam Veterans is beneficial. ConclusionsPatient-centered EOL care should include assigning a point of contact that follows the patient, educates the family on expectations, ensures the patient's changing needs are met, ensures the family has appropriate support, and communicates updates to the family throughout the patient's care continuum.

Assessing disparities in barriers to attending pediatric diabetes camp.

While the benefits of diabetes camp programs are well established, minority youth are underrepresented in camp attendance. No research to date has explored barriers to camp attendance or potential disparities in those barriers. Further, little is known about sources families prioritize in seeking diabetes information and support. This was a prospective survey of families of children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) using convenience sampling during normally-scheduled clinic visits. Thirty-nine children and their caregivers completed the survey. Results were analyzed for prevalence and mean number of reported barriers, benefits, and diabetes information networks. Age range was 5-15 years and mean duration of diabetes was 2.9 years (0.4-9y). The most prevalent barriers were location, cost, and concern about sending children to overnight camp. Caregivers had high level of knowledge of camp benefits. Participants reported engaging with the diabetes community through interactions with their diabetes team, Facebook groups, and the JDRF. Increasing awareness, transportation assistance, and scholarship funding all may increase accessibility of diabetes camps. Diabetes clinic and online or social media groups are both acceptable means of disseminating information about diabetes camp. Further research is indicated to verify if these results are applicable to the larger diabetes community.