Can community, connection and generosity result in better health?
Unbound is participating in research to study patients with diabetes to determine if partnering to improve the health of an impoverished individual elder with diabetes in the Philippines has a positive impact on their own health.
In 2023, Unbound and Chronic Care International launched the first phase of a two-phase noncommunicable diseases pilot focused on improving the health of diabetes patients in the Philippines who are living in poverty. Results so far have exceeded expectations, and we’re excited to begin phase two.
The next 12-month phase of the study research will introduce a U.S.-based element focused on peer support. Research indicates that social connections combined with generosity can improve the management and health outcomes of people with diabetes. The study’s principal investigator, Deshira Wallace, Ph.D., and her team, will study U.S.-based participants to determine the impact to their health.
We are seeking study participants
Or, reach out to the Sponsor Support team at Unbound by phone at 800.875.6564, ext. 9,
or ask to speak with an NCD study specialist or email [email protected].
This study was approved by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Institutional Review Board #24-1668
About Unbound
Unbound is an international nonprofit partnering with families in Africa, Asia and Latin America to support their self-directed paths out of poverty. Our primary approach is one-to-one sponsorship — sponsors contribute $40 per month and build relationships with their sponsored friends. For sponsored friends, sponsorship unlocks community participation through local support groups and financial assistance via direct cash transfers into their accounts.
About Chronic Care International
Chronic Care International (CCI) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming global health care challenges in developing countries to enable sustainable, long-term care. CCI focuses primarily on diabetes and hypertension care and takes a hands-on approach, partnering with others to create a unique framework of medical resources, education, patient cooperatives and outcome measurement.
Frequently asked questions
We will be studying generous adults with diabetes who live in the United States.
As Unbound sponsors, participants will contribute support of $40 per month in financial assistance for their sponsored friends, elderly participants with diabetes in the Philippines, which will help them to meet their basic needs and receive medical care.
These U.S.-based sponsors will be asked to participate in at least three 20-30 minute surveys either online or by telephone over the course of 12 months (at beginning of the study, at six months and at 12 months). The first interview would be performed as part of the consent phone call when possible.
A select number of sponsors will be asked to participate in an in-depth one-on-one interview lasting approximately one hour. These interviews will focus on sponsors’ motivations to sponsor an adult with diabetes, their experiences in the study and managing their diabetes. These interviews will be audio recorded and transcribed for subsequent analysis. Sponsors who participate in the study will not be compensated financially for their time. All interviews will be conducted by trained and supervised research staff.
As a sponsor, U.S.-based participants will develop a relationship with their sponsored elder. Their sponsored elder in the Philippines will send three to four messages to their sponsor over the course of the 12 months of the study. Sponsors are encouraged to respond to these messages through their accounts at Unbound.org to get to know their sponsored elder, provide support and encouragement, and learn more about their friend’s life.
Like other sponsored friends in the Unbound program, sponsored elders in the Philippines who participate in this study will receive financial support in the form of cash transfers which give them the resources and flexibility to address their needs. Participants in the Philippines will also receive health care that may otherwise have been unavailable or financially out of reach for individuals living in poverty.
Reach out to the Sponsor Support team at Unbound by phone at 800.875.6564, ext. 9, or ask to speak with an NCD pilot specialist or email [email protected].
