It was once thought of as an adult disease, but type 2 diabetes is growing at an alarming rate among America’s young people. A new study, just released in the News England Journal of Medicine, shows that diabetes is rising among tweens and teens -particularly among kids of minority racial and ethnic groups.
For years, health experts have bemoaned the rise of childhood obesity in the United States. About 17% of kids and teens in the U.S. are now considered obese, a figure that has more than tripled since the 1970s, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Among youth ages 10-19, the rate of new diagnosed cases of type 2 diabetes rose most sharply in Native Americans (8.9 percent), Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders (8.5 percent) and non-Hispanic blacks (6.3 percent). Note: The rates for Native Americans cannot be generalized to all Native American youth nationwide.
- Among youth ages 10-19, the rate of new diagnosed cases of type 2 diabetes increased 3.1 percent among Hispanics. The smallest increase was seen in whites (0.6 percent).
- The rate of new diagnosed cases of type 2 diabetes rose much more sharply in females (6.2 percent) than in males (3.7 percent) ages 10-19.
And it’s not just type 2 diabetes – type 1 diabetes is rising among young people as well. MedPageToday.com wrote, “The researchers also expressed concern about the barriers to treatment and quality care among minority youth, noting that the findings suggest that type 1 diabetes is “a growing disease burden that will not be shared equally,” and highlight the “critical need” to address these health-related disparities.”
Roughly 29 million Americans have diabetes and the chief scientific, medical and mission officer for the American Diabetes Association (ADA), Dr. William Cefalu, was quoted by CBS News as saying, “These studies highlight our concerns about the increasing prevalence of diabetes. Every 23 seconds, another person is diagnosed with diabetes [in the United States].”
So, in the time it took to read this story….three or four more people were diagnosed with diabetes in our country. What do you think we can do to slow down this trend….especially among young people? Generating meaningful conversations with our partners on the health issues making headlines is another way we are working toward our long-term goal of one day making Arizona the Healthiest State in the Nation!