Childhood Diabetes on the Rise

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month. Once a true medical oddity, children with adult diabetes are becoming commonplace. Doctors blame the twin evils of too much food and too little exercise and fear a tragic upswing in disastrous diabetic complications as this overweight generation reaches adulthood.

At hospitals everywhere, boys and girls who are barely into their teens and range from chubby to hugely obese are being diagnosed in unprecedented numbers with Type 2 Diabetes. They are most often accompanied by overweight parents who also are increasingly being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. Doctors are convinced they see the leading edge of a dangerous shift, one that will inevitably lead to kidney failure, blindness, heart attacks, amputations, and more, as these young people live another 10 or 20 years with their diabetes.

Until the last decade, almost all diabetes in children was type 1, what was called Juvenile Diabetes. In many ways, it is a different disease. Type 1 results from a misguided attack by the immune system on the insulin-making cells in the pancreas. Victims stop making insulin completely, so they cannot convert sugar to energy. But type 2 has historically been a disease of people in their 50s, 60s, and beyond. Their bodies still make insulin, just not enough. They may go for years without realizing they have it.

Why this trend? Doctors have little doubt. Most blame the hours on end in front of the TV and computer and the 20-ounce sodas in school vending machines. Drinking four of sodas a day is nothing special for many kids, one doctor notes, and adds up to 1,000 calories—close to half of a young person's daily needs, all from sugar.

Virtually all children with Type 2 are overweight, although this hardly makes them unique. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently estimated that 15 percent of all U.S. children and teenagers—and nearly a quarter of black and Hispanic youngsters—weigh too much. Many who do not have outright diabetes still have abnormalities that put them at high risk for Diabetes—a combination of obesity, insulin resistance, bad cholesterol counts, high triglycerides, and high blood pressure.

So, what can be done? Doctors understand what they are up against—a culture of cheap, high-calorie food and sedentary pleasures—and can think of no easy solutions. These are, after all, teenagers who feel immortal and are loathe to do anything their friends do not, such as ordering a salad, or joining an aerobics class.

Some experts believe vigorous exercise is as crucial as weight control in preventing type 2. Experts indicate that sustained physical activity stimulates movement of sugar into cells and improves the body's response to insulin.

Assign students to write a report of at least 100 words or a presentation of at least 5 slides that cites at least three resources. Students should use the pathfinder listed below to save time searching and ensure the best results list.

Students should address the following examples of essential questions for critical thinking in their reports (you may want to create others):

• What are the causal factors for Type 2 Diabetes in children?
  
  
• What are the symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes in children?
  
  
• What type of vigorous physical activity and eating habits would be most acceptable to you to prevent or reduce obesity?
  
  
• What can the school do to help prevent or reduce the increase in Type 2 Diabetes in students?

Select the Subject Headings search option > Type "Diabetes" > Click the link "Diabetes in Children"

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