Pediatric Type 2 Diabetes : Emergence And Preventive Measures Essay

Type 2 Diabetes in children and adolescents is an emerging epidemic within the last 20

With over 30 million people having diabetes, the prevalence is continuing to rise. An estimated 200,000 American youth are effected by type 1 diabetes and 40,000 new cases are diagnosed each year¹. The rate for type 1 diabetes in youth has increased by 1.8% each year. In comparison, the prevalence for type 2 diabetes in youth has increased at a rate of 4.8% annually². No matter whether diabetes is type 1 or type 2 in children, family involvement is essential for optimal outcomes³.

According to the United States Library of Medicine, diabetes is a disease that occurs when the body does not make or use insulin correctly, therefore causing fluctuating amounts of glucose in the blood. Diabetes is a disease that affects millions of adults and children from various cultures. According to the American Diabetes Association (2014), someone is diagnosed with diabetes every 19 seconds. The Center of Disease Control and Prevention most recent statistical report indicated there were 29.1 million adults and children affected by diabetes. Those numbers are astounding. Unfortunately, the American Diabetes Association (2014) estimates by year of 2050, one out of three adults will have diabetes. Therefore, it is imperative that adults take aggressive measures to prevent this disease. By the same token, diabetes diagnosed in children and adolescent is becoming more prevalent every day. The American Diabetes Association (2014) reported there were about 216, 00 children in the United States with diabetes. It is predicted that one out three children will be diagnosed with diabetes in their life. The statistics for both adults and children with diabetes are frightening; however, early detection can help lower the risk of developing the debilitating effects of diabetes.

This pamphlet is written on a third grade reading level, making it very easy for just about everyone to read and understand what it has to say. This is vital, because it is estimated that 25.8 million people in the US have diabetes (Diabetes, 2011). That includes children and adults, nearly

The rate of diabetes in the United States is one of the highest compared to other developed countries. An estimate of 9.3% of the population have diabetes, of those with diabetes 27.8% have yet to be diagnosed (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2014). This means that approximately 8.1 million people are currently living with diabetes, but are unaware of it. As of 2012, 12.3% of people with diabetes were 20 years old or older, the largest population diagnosed with diabetes were adults 65 years old or older. 25.9% of this population lives with diabetes (CDC, 2014). On a national level, the CDC have launched initiatives that focus on prevention and disease management. The National Diabetes Prevention Program is an example of one such initiative. This program focuses on lifestyle changes,

According to the American Diabetes Association, more Americans die each year from diabetes than from AIDS and breast cancer combined. As a result, researchers have extensively studied the causes, treatments, and interventions for diabetes. Despite efforts to ameliorate its effects, diabetes remains a prevalent danger in society. In 2014, 7% of U.S. adults were living with diagnosed diabetes (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2016). In Louisiana that number was even higher - 10.4% of adults have been diagnosed with diabetes. Breaking it down by age group, however, in Louisiana 3% of people aged 18 and 44 have been diagnosed, and 15.2% of people 45-64. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2015a). Several studies have predicted future rates of diabetes both in the United States and worldwide - nearly all of these studies reached a similar conclusion: rates of diabetes will continue to rise (Boyle et al., 2001).

Over the past few decades, there has been an increased concern about diabetes and its effects on minority populations. Type II Diabetes is also referred to as “adult onset diabetes”, and is a condition where the body does not regulate blood glucose effectively and resists insulin. This does not allow for glucose to get into the cells of fat tissue, the liver, and muscle cells and therefore they cannot function optimally. The National Center for Health Statistics reported that in 2012, African Americans had the highest amount of new reported cases of Type II diabetes when compared to all other racial and ethnic populations, and the second highest amount of overall diabetes diagnosis at 13.2%.1,2 In 2012, type II diabetes was the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States, and African Americans are nearly two times more likely to develop diabetes. More than 50% of all new diabetes cases are developed in African American populations, with a 27% higher mortality rate than Caucasians.1

I have been naïve to an epidemic that has been plaguing America for quite some time now. It wasn’t talked about or taught much when I was younger. I thought that this disease was for the geriatric population. In 2012, 29.1 million Americans were diagnosed with diabetes. 8.1 million went undiagnosed. (diabetes.org) Diabetes is a dilemma and the statistics for this disease is rising steadily. Per the diabetes association there are 1.4 million of new cases of diabetes a year. Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the united states of America. Diabetes is not affecting only one group of people. Diabetes.org states that 208,000 Americans under the age of 20 have been diagnosed with diabetes. In 2014 I started a new job at a call center. Prior to this occupation I had never personally, that I knew of interacted closely with anyone suffering from this disease. I had never heard of the younger population developing this illness and I certainly never heard any first-hand accounts on how diabetes affected the body. I discovered just how prevalent diabetes were in young adults. I watched people between the ages of 20-27 be afflicted by this disease. They had to constantly watch their diet to ensure that their blood glucose wasn’t either too high or too low. I watched a 20-year-old female be in and out of the hospital because of this disease. I hope to inform this reader of the dangers of this disease and what to do to prevent it.

Type 2 Diabetes: Form of diabetes mellitus in which the pancreas does not make enough insulin or the body is unable to make insulin correctly (Health the Basics, Chapter 12, pg 413).

According to the American Diabetes Association (2016), more Americans die each year from diabetes than from AIDS and breast cancer combined. As a result, researchers have extensively studied the causes, treatments, and interventions for diabetes. Despite efforts to ameliorate its effects, diabetes remains a prevalent danger in society. In 2014, 7% of U.S. adults were living with diagnosed diabetes (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2016). In Louisiana that number was even higher - 10.4% of adults have been diagnosed with diabetes. Breaking it down by age group, however, in Louisiana 3% of people aged 18 and 44 have been diagnosed, and 15.2% of people 45-64. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2015a). Several studies have predicted future rates of diabetes, both in the United States and worldwide - nearly all of these studies reached a similar conclusion: rates of diabetes will continue to rise (Boyle et al., 2001).

Diabetes mellitus is a group of diseases characterized by high levels of glucose in the blood resulting from defects in insulin production, insulin action, or both. The Insulin resistant patients are growing continuously in american children. New management strategies are helping minorities with diabetes live long and healthy lives. Diabetes is one of the most common known diseases in the african american community today. It’s associated with serious complications, but timely diagnosis and treatment. About 208,000 young black people in the united states under age 20 had diabetes both type 1 diabetes 2 in 2012. Scarcely Type 2 diabetes are increasing in children and adolescents. The frequency of diabetes in today society coincides with the food consumption, lack of exercise and lack of signs symptoms. Children who are of a minority in modern society tend to be more two times more likely to have diabetes mellitus , than any other child in the world.

Type 2 diabetes has been a rising issue in today’s society. It has been found in many people in America at younger ages. Now that insurance companies are requiring screening to be done every year to receive reduced the monthly payments. Type 2 diabetes has affected my family just recently. My husband was diagnosed last February. He has struggled with maintaining his blood sugars over that last year. It is a hard diagnosis to make accommodations to. It is a big life style change for not only the diabetic, but also their family. Diet, exercise and family history play big roles in the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes mellitus is a medical condition that either develops because of a virus or develops over time as a result to poor diet and exercise. If left uncontrolled it may lead to serious complications such as stroke, vision loss, amputation, or even death. Type II Diabetes is a preventable disease that usually occurs when a patient has been a pre-diabetic for some time. Most people with Type 2 are overweight or obese which can lead to insulin resistance. “In the United States, 25.6 million or 11.3% of adults aged 20 years and older had diabetes in 2010. Non-Hispanic Blacks had the highest prevalence at 12.6% compared with non- Hispanic Whites at 7.1%” (Gaskin, D. J. et all, 2014). With the rising cost of healthcare there are millions of Americans

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is one of the fastest growing chronic diseases affecting children ages 6 to 11 worldwide (Montgomery, Johnson & Ewell, 2015). This recent development is occurring at an alarming rate, with numbers expected to quadruple by the year 2050 (Montgomery, et al., 2015). Without timely intervention from the healthcare system, this condition could have a devastating effect on the health outcomes of children across North America. Many studies have identified some common factors that put youth at major risk for developing T2DM, with childhood obesity, physical inactivity, low socioeconomic status, and lack of knowledge and access to healthy food choices among the leading causes (Dean & Sellers, 2015; Montgomery et al., 2015). There are many opportunities for Community Health Nurses (CHNs) to play a role in health promotion within this population. This paper will address the social factors contributing to adolescent T2DM, the current role of CHNs in addressing this condition, and ways to ensure these children have adequate access to health care.

What was once thought to be found only among adults has become one of the most common chronic diseases among children in the United States. Ordinarily, when diabetes strikes during childhood it is assumed to be type 1. The SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study began in 2000 and has provided the most comprehensive estimates of the prevalence and incidence of type 2 diabetes among youth less than 20 years of age in the US (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that annually, an estimated 18,436 youth are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and 5,089 youth are diagnosed with type 2 among youth. In the last two decades, type 2 diabetes, has been reported among U.S. children and adolescents with increasing frequency. Disease researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made the prediction that one in three children born in the United States in 2000 will likely develop type 2 diabetes sometime in their lifetime unless they get more exercise and improve their diets, particularly for Latino children (CDC, 2014). Without changes in diet and exercise, their odds of developing diabetes as they grow older was about 50-50.