Public Health Problem : Diabetes Disease Among Youth

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.

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.

The growth of type one diabetes has been increasing over the past decades. The rise of this disease could be contributed to many factors such as, environmental factors, hereditary, lifestyle choices, and etc. The United States and Finland are rated among some of the highest counties experiencing high growth of type one diabetes. Children of the age range anywhere from ages one to sixteen have been contributing to the increase of type one diabetes within the United States and Finland.

In type 2 diabetes a person’s body produces insulin, but the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to maintain bodily functions or the body cannot use the insulin the way it is supposed to. When the body is unable to use insulin properly it is known as insulin resistance. “When there isn’t enough insulin or the insulin is not used as it should be, glucose (sugar) can’t get into the body’s cells” (WebMD, n.d.). When this happens glucose builds up in the blood and is not absorbed by the cells, which causes the body to not function properly. Some of the subsequent damage that can develop as a result of this

Severe obesity has shown to be the common link in diagnosis of T2DM in children and youth. According to Kaufman while there appears to be a host of genetic and environmental risk factors for T2DM, perhaps the most significant risk factor is obesity. Also noted were the risk posed by sedentary lifestyles as a result of lack of exercise. With obesity being a proven link to increased incidence of childhood T2DM one rightfully assumes the role of diet and exercise is also significant. In this the era of social media, get it quick, enlarged portion sizes, and microwave mentalities our youth are paying the price and becoming less physically active, less social, resulting in obesity and poor health. With outdoor activities and socialization, giving way to video games, and time on the computer the lifestyle behaviors of present no longer promote healthy life and dietary choices and growth they are more in line with poor health, poor choices, and stagnation, thus it no surprise that obesity and T2DM has risen significantly over the last twenty years in youth populations. Sadly although there is much information at our fingertips due to the rise of technology and information age the habits adopted as a result of technological advances have proven to be more detrimental than beneficial to the health and overall well-being of today’s youth. The influx of processed foods and increased sugar consumption has

Diabetes is a metabolic disease in which the body’s inability to produce any or enough insulin causes elevated levels of glucose. Diabetes has been around for a long time, but now it has grown as a national epidemic. Over 29 million people in America have diabetes, 86 million Americans have Prediabetes. Prediabetes is a condition in which blood sugar is high but not high enough to be type 2 diabetes. It is very important to understand diabetes because 1 out of every 4 people you see might have diabetes, so learning what causes diabetes and how to prevent it is important to humans well being. Type 2 diabetes over the years is starting to become more prevalent in children than before. Understanding the basics of diabetes can allow us to better

Type 2 diabetes, diabetes mellitus, is a chronic disease characterized by high blood glucose levels in the bloodstream; usually caused by the inability of the pancreas to produce insulin or the inability of the body to use it efficiently. This condition occurs mostly in adults, but it can also appear in children, teenagers, and young adults. Considered one of the fastest growing health problems in the United States, diabetes now affects 29.1 million people, where only 21.0 million are diagnosed and 8.9 million are undiagnosed (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). Dana Dabelea et. al (2014) reported that from 2001 to 2009, cases of diabetes among youth increased 35% in different regions of the United States, including California, Colorado, Ohio, South Carolina, Washington, Arizona and New Mexico. Overall, in 2010 the US Census recorded that 24.0% of the population are youth under the age of 18 from which about 0.25% of those children have been diagnosed with diabetes in 2008 and 2009 (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). More recent data indicates that the number of prevalence among youth continues to increase, and in 2014, about 20,000 children had type 2 diabetes (Narasimhan and Weinstock, 2014). Yet, even though there are still discussions on the different tools used to diagnose type 2 diabetes, it is prevalent most commonly among the minority population, but efforts to educate

There is type 1 and type 2 diabetes and type 1 mostly occurs in children and adults under the age of 30, while type 2 develops in adults in their 40s or later. Therefore, such an education is important in identifying the link between obesity and childhood diabetes. In the past few years, children with obesity have developed type 2 diabetes, which was common in adults.

Diabetes can develop from physical inactivity and obesity. Physical activity can improve insulin sensitivity, control weight, and also reduce risks of cancer and heart problems while also help strengthen bones and muscles. Type 2 diabetes is the one that people can develop. When eating unhealthy, health problems may arise. For example, children love to eat sweets and when parents do not monitor what they eat everyday, it is possible for children to develop Type 2 diabetes, especially if the child is not getting enough exercise. In the past, Type 2 diabetes was more shown in adults who were over the ages of forty; however, it is now becoming more common in young adults and children. This is linked to obesity. Obesity is when the amount of food

Type 1 diabetes is rising worldwide at the rate of 3% per year. It is mainly a child disease.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) occurs when the pancreas produces little to no insulin, a hormone the body requires providing glucose with the ability to enter cells (Mayoclinic, 2014). It is the absorption of glucose that allows the body to manufacture its energy (Mayoclinic, 2014). T1D affects roughly 5-10% of patients with diabetes and is escalating annually by 2-5% (Medscape, 2014). T1D is a chronic condition that affects not only approximately 1 in every 400-600 children but 50% of those diagnosed develop T1D when they are older than 20 (Medscape, 2014; Tufts, 2014). This metabolic disease can be detected as early as 4 years old with the peak onset age between

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.

Diabetes is a major problem in our society today. Many people have heard about the disease; however, they do not know too much about its complications. Diabetes is a chronic, progressive and lifelong condition that affects the body’s ability to use the energy found in food (WebMD, 2016). Many new cases are confirmed every year and unfortunately, many go undiagnosed for years. Diabetes is a serious disease and need to be taking seriously. The disease can lead to many other health problems such as blindness, nerve damage and kidney diseases. The more the community understand and made aware of the seriousness of the disease, the better it can be control and or prevented.