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Type 2 Diabetes in Children

IS THERE REALLY A PROBLEM?

According to the nation's top diabetes specialists, there has been a tremendous rise in the number of children under the age of 18 being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes was rarely seen in anyone under the age of 40. However, over the past few years, the statistics have changed for the worse.

The concern within the medical community is that the continued rise in childhood obesity, coupled with the progressive decrease in the number of active children, will continue to be the main culprits responsible for pediatric Type 2 diabetes. Add to this, the progressive decline in the number of active children &, if we don't act now, we're headed for a major disaster.

Did you realize that almost 1 out of every 3 children in the United States today is overweight or obese? (Many predict the incidence is closer to 2 out of every 5!) According to the Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), the number of overweight children has increased by more than 50% within the past twenty years.

They have also discovered that up to 65% of these school aged children have at least one major risk factor for heart disease (such as high blood pressure, glucose intolerance &/or high cholesterol levels). With this in mind, you can see that the time is now for us, as parents, to take preventive measures. Our children's health is at stake.

POSSIBLE CAUSES:

The number of overweight children in the U.S. is increasing at an alarming rate.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see how technology, coupled with "life on the run" has affected our society.

Sure, it's wonderful to be able to search the internet, communicate with other continents & fly to the moon but think back to your own childhood. What did you do after school? I bet you didn't sit in front of a VCR or play video games. Yet, that's exactly what we are allowing our children to do.

Whatever happened to playing outside? Honestly, I believe outdoor play may be becoming extinct.

Large portions of unhealthy foods, a lack of healthy foods, & a lack of daily physical activity are major contributors to the big decline in the health of our children.

Prevention of childhood obesity should be our number one goal.

It is a well-documented fact that obesity, with or without uncontrolled diabetes, can affect every major organ in the body & reduce one's life expectancy. The younger one is when he or she becomes overweight, the greater potential there is for suffering from complications & an earlier death.

So! How do we, as parents, change the lifestyle our children have become accustomed to?

For starters, take a look at your own lifestyle behaviors.

  • How are your eating habits?
  • Do you enable your family to actually sit down to a home cooked meal or are fast food establishments more your style?
  • Do you take time to enjoy your food or are you always eating on the run? Think about it?

What example are you setting for your children? Children learn by seeing & eating behaviors are a learned trait. The habits your children develop in their youth will most likely remain with them throughout adulthood.

Now look at your activity level. How much actual physical activity do you fit into your daily schedule?

When is the last time you rode a bike or simply went for a brisk walk outdoors? Not many years ago, gym class was something every child had to participate in every day? Nowadays, children are lucky to have gym class once or twice a week.

When you consider this decrease in activity coupled with an increase in poor eating habits, it's no wonder we're raising heavier unfit youngsters.

Children learn by example - how is your example?

Be a healthy role model. Remember, we are dealing with children. Children learn best from seeing us do what we expect them to do. This is what is meant by "Practice what you preach". Unfortunately, when it comes to raising our children, many of us rely on the "Do as I say, not as I do" method. This latter method just doesn't work when it comes to teaching our children how to live a healthy lifestyle.

POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS:

Food, Fun n' Fitness: Designing Healthy Lifestyles for Today's Youth - does a superb job explaining the importance of healthy lifestyle habits as the foundation for healthy children & healthy adults. (Be sure to read more about it at Food Fun-N-Fitness - you'll be glad you did!)

Luckily, healthy living is not as difficult as it sounds. The trick is to start making changes slowly. There's nothing worse than incorporating drastic changes into our lives & the lives of our children.  Going from one extreme to another overnight does not work.  The change is much too difficult to stick.  Instead, choose one habit at a time & work on perfecting it before moving on to the next.

For starters, try scheduling in merely 15 minutes of family time after dinner. Everyone could go for a nice walk around the neighborhood, go down to the park & shoot some baskets, ride bikes, take a dip in the pool or simply march in place while watching TV.

The actual activity you choose is not important. What is important is the doing. See, that sounds easy enough, doesn't it?

Just do it! Get moving, every little bit counts! 

Okay now for the test. What are you doing after dinner tonight?