In a study that included data from more than 3 million children and adolescents from diverse geographic regions of the U.S., researchers found the prevalence of both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes increased significantly between 2001 and 2009.
Researchers with the Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora, Colo., the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study, examined whether the overall prevalence of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes among U.S. youth has changed in recent years, and whether it changed by sex, age and race/ethnicity.
The analysis included cases of physician-diagnosed Type 1 diabetes in youths ages 0 through 19 and Type 2 diabetes in youths ages 10 through 19 years in 2001 and 2009.
The study population came from five centers located in California, Colorado, Ohio, South Carolina and Washington, as well as data from selected American Indian reservations in Arizona and New Mexico.
The prevalence of Type 1 diabetes among a population of 3.3 million youths was 1.48 per 1,000 in 2001 and increased to 1.93 per 1,000 among 3.4 million in 2009. After statistical adjustment, the authors wrote, the increase was 21% over the eight-year period.
The greatest prevalence increase was observed in youths ages 15 through 19. Increases were observed in both sexes and in white, black, Hispanic and Asian Pacific Islander youth.
The overall prevalence of Type 2 diabetes for youth ages 10 to 19 increased by an estimated 30.5% between 2001 and 2009 (among a population of 1.7 million and 1.8 million youth, respectively).
Increases occurred in white, Hispanic and black youth, whereas no changes were found in Asian Pacific Islander and American Indian youth. A significant increase was seen in both sexes and all age groups.
Further studies are required to determine the causes of these increases, the researchers wrote.
The study is titled Prevalence of Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Among Children and Adolescents From 2001 to 2009.
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