Cook and Colleagues Release an Assessment of a Daily Diary Study Including Biospecimen Collections in a Sample of Sexual and Gender Minority Young Adults
Posted: 2/22/2024 (CSDE Research)
CSDE Affiliate Stephanie Cook (Biostatistics and Social & Behavioral Health, New York University) released an article with co-authors in JMIR Formative Research, titled “Assessment of a Daily Diary Study Including Biospecimen Collections in a Sample of Sexual and Gender Minority Young Adults: Feasibility and Acceptability Study“. Young sexual minority men (YSMM) engage in cardiometabolic risk behaviors (eg, substance use) at higher rates than their heterosexual counterparts. Theory and previous research suggest that these risk behaviors may stem, in part, from exposure to minority stress (ie, discrimination based on sexual identity and other identities such as race). This pilot study examined the feasibility and acceptability of a virtual 2-day daily diary study that examined daily experiences with discrimination, cardiometabolic risk behaviors (ie, sleep, physical activity, and substance use behaviors), and patterns of physiological stress and inflammation among YSMM aged 18 to 35 years. The authors found that the study protocol was both feasible and acceptable for YSMM and participants were willing to engage in longer-term diary studies (e.g., over 2 weeks). Participants also noted potential barriers to engaging in the study protocol, including redundancy of survey items and daily stressors getting in the way of completing the surveys, which should be considered in future study designs.