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Capitol Comment
by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
Diabetes is a Growing Health Risk for Children
November 21, 2008
Parents often casually remark that today’s children grow up too quickly. In one particularly alarming sense, that sentiment is true. A generation of children whose health has been threatened by sedentary behavior and poor eating habits now face some of the deadly health risks once limited to adults, such as type 2 diabetes. Without serious lifestyle changes, these children could struggle with significant, lifelong health challenges, including heart disease, hypertension, high blood pressure, and kidney disease.
Earlier this month, scientists released the staggering findings of a study on the “heart health” among American kids: the arteries of obese children are in the same condition of those of 45-year-old adults. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends cholesterol screening for children with a family history of heart disease as early as age two. Trust for America's Health, a leading health organization, reports that 32 percent of American children are overweight or obese. So it is little surprise that one in three children born today will be diagnosed with diabetes. And the most distressing trends in childhood obesity is the rise in cases of type 2 diabetes. This complex form of the disease was formerly known as “adult-onset diabetes” because occurrence in children was so rare. However, over the past 20 years, the incidence of type 2 diabetes among children diagnosed with the disease has climbed from two percent to as much as 45 percent.
November has been designated National Diabetes Month in order to raise awareness of this deadly disease, which is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.
In Texas, the prevalence of obesity has surged 112 percent since 1990, according to the United Health Foundation. Prevention must be the cornerstone of our state’s efforts to combat diabetes. Many people who are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes have a parent or a sibling with the disease. Individuals with a known predisposition must take extra care to stay “heart healthy” through nutritious eating and regular exercise. This is particularly true of children, who can reduce their diabetes risk by adopting healthy habits early in life.
A 2007 study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found that school-based health, nutrition, and exercise programs are beneficial to all students and can directly impact diabetes risk factors in children. Presently, Texas is one of only 17 states that requires school breakfasts, lunches, and snacks to meet higher nutritional standards than the U.S. Department of Agriculture mandates. To build on that, I created an elementary school pilot program in the 2007 Farm Bill that encourages parents and their children to participate in nutrition education. Under this program, schools would be able to employ a nutrition coordinator to assist them in establishing a comprehensive nutrition and fitness program for parents and students alike. This program is one of the first of its kind and will help prevent obesity and promote healthy lifestyles among families.
But there are more than one million diagnosed cases of diabetes in Texas and, alarmingly, another half a million Texans are living with the disease and don’t know it. According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study, the number of Texans affected by the disease nearly doubled between 1994 and 2002. So, as we advocate prevention, we must also pursue a cure.
In late 2007, I cosponsored a bipartisan measure to support research on new medications, identification of factors that place individuals at risk of developing the disease, and efforts to reduce health complications caused by diabetes. I have also worked to increase federal support for research efforts at the National Institutes of Health and the CDC so we can better understand the causes of diabetes and improve prevention and educational efforts.
Combating diabetes through prevention and treatment is a national challenge that requires a cooperative approach. For more information on diabetes, contact the American Diabetes Association at 1-800-DIABETES or visit its Web site at www.diabetes.org.
Kay Bailey Hutchison is the senior U.S. Senator from Texas.
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