Diabetes Tip Sheets for Teens Now Available

Format: Tip Sheets
Institute: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

About 154,000 youth under age 20 have diabetes in the United States. According to data reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2006, one in 523 people younger than age 20 has diabetes. Among this group, 79% are aged 10 to 19 years.

To help young people diagnosed with diabetes and their parents, the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) is introducing a new series of tip sheets and an online quiz created especially for teens to help them manage their disease and reduce their risk for complications.

NDEP’s new Tips for Teens with Diabetes series, which encourages youth to take steps to manage their disease for a long, healthy life, includes such topics as What Is Diabetes?, Be Active, Make Healthy Food Choices, Stay at a Healthy Weight, and Dealing with the Ups and Downs of Diabetes. NDEP also has a tip sheet addressing teens at risk for type 2 diabetes, called Lower Your Risk for Type 2 Diabetes. In addition, NDEP has developed an interactive online quiz for teens with diabetes based on information found in the tip sheets, using a question-and-answer format with direct links to the new sheets.

Next Steps
The tips sheets and interactive quiz in the Tips for Teens with Diabetes series are available online at www.ndep.nih.gov/diabetes/youth/youth.htm#TSKidsType2.