COLLEGE STATION As if parents didn’t have enough to worry about concerns about the numbers of children developing type 2 diabetes are growing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This increase is caused in large part because type 2 diabetes is a weight-based illness, and so many children are now considered overweight, said Courtney J. Schoessow, Texas Cooperative Extension health associate. Schoessow cites statistics that show:
– In the United States, one-fifth of children are overweight;
– In the past 20 years, the numbers of overweight children has increased by more than 50 percent;
– In these same 20 years, the number of children classified as “extremely overweight” has almost doubled.
“Although children have fewer weight-related health problems than adults (such as heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke), they are at an increased risk of developing a serious disease diabetes,” she said. Diabetes has two types:
– Type 1 is caused by the body’s inability to produce insulin. A person with type 1 diabetes must take insulin shots several times a day. This type of diabetes cannot be prevented or postponed, it can only be treated.
– Type 2, the most common type, is the result of the body’s inability to utilize the insulin it does produce, or the body’s inability to produce enough insulin. With proper nutrition and healthy activity, this type of diabetes may be prevented or postponed.
Symptoms of diabetes include: constant thirst, frequent need to urinate, unusual tiredness or hunger, unexplained weight loss, sores that take a long time to heal, dry itchy skin, less feeling or tingling in the feet, and blurry eyesight. A person with undiagnosed diabetes may have any or all of these symptoms or a combination of them.
“In recent years obesity and type 2 diabetes have been rapidly increasing in youth, especially among Hispanics, African-Americans and Native Americans,” Schoessow said. That’s why some schools are screening children for type 2 diabetes by looking for a dark skin discoloration called acanthosis nigricans which can be a marker for the disease. This discoloration often called AN can be found on the neck, knuckles, elbows, knees, armpits, soles of the feet, inner thighs and skin folds of the abdomen.
“Not everyone who has AN will develop diabetes,” she said. “It just means there is an increased possibility of diabetes in the future.”
With proper medical treatment, diabetes can be managed and controlled. However, it is not curable a person diagnosed with diabetes lives with the condition for the rest of his or her life.
“The best way to deal with type 2 diabetes in children is to prevent it from developing in the first place,” Schoessow said. Parents can help their children prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes by helping them maintain a healthy weight and a healthy lifestyle.
“Children become overweight for a variety of reasons,” Schoessow said, including genetics, lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating patterns or a combination.
“In rare cases, a medical problem, such as an endocrine disorder, may cause a child to become overweight. Your physician can perform a careful physical exam and some blood tests, if necessary, to rule out this type of problem.”
Diabetes prevention begins with a visit to the doctor. “A doctor is the best person to determine whether your child has a weight problem,” Schoessow said. “Physicians will measure your child’s weight and height to determine if your child’s weight is within a healthy range. A physician will also consider our child’s age and growth patterns to determine whether your child is overweight.”
But diabetes prevention continues at home. “The two most important things your child can do are to have a normal weight and increase his or her levels of physical activity,” Schoessow said.
Parents know encouraging children to eat healthier and be more active isn’t always easy. Schoessow offered these suggestions:
– Take things one at a time. Don’t expect a child to accept too many life changes all at once. Start small with maybe smaller servings and short afternoon walks and go from there.
– If the doctor suggests a diet for your child, make sure it’s one the child can life with. Don’t restrict every single favorite “forbidden” food at once. Make sure unhealthy food choices are replaced with healthy and tasty ones. “Don’t let your child feel that he or she will never again be able to eat a chocolate chip cookie,” Schoessow said. “Instead, think of eating foods like cookies in moderation, or on special occasions.”
– Keep healthier foods on hand, such as grapes, bananas and other fruits. Limit the amounts of cookies, donuts, cakes, chips, ice cream and other sugar- and/or fat-laden foods that come into the house.
– Get active. One way to start is for the whole family to get into the habit of taking evening walks together; for optimum benefit, these walks should be 30-45 minutes in length, three to five times a week. Or buy a family membership to a gym or YMCA. The family can also start an at-home exercise program. Consider buying exercise tapes or home gym equipment and working out together.
– Sign your child up for activities he or she enjoys. Whether it’s swimming or running or playing team sports, favorite physical activities are healthier than sitting and watching television or playing video games.
– Set a goal and work toward it together. Develop a workout plan or an active vacation, and train for it together.
– And above all, Schoessow said, keep it fun. “Whatever you do, keep in mind that your child needs a lifestyle change more than a quick fix. Make small, gradual changes, and try to include meals and activities that are enjoyable for your child and your family.”
For more information visit the American Diabetes Association Web site at: http://www.diabetes.org/main/application/commercewf
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