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Diabetes
Among Youth
Diabetes in childhood is mainly type 1, an autoimmune disorder that destroys
insulin-producing cells, requiring multiple daily insulin injections or
a pump. It is estimated that approximately 1 in 400-500 (10,000) Texas
children have type 1 diabetes. However, type 2 diabetes is emerging as
a higher proportion of pediatric diabetes, representing almost 50 percent
of new diabetes cases diagnosed by endocrinologists. At least 13,000 children
have type 2 diabetes, and the number of youth with type 2 diabetes is
likely to triple by 2025 – a huge change for any condition –
unless primary prevention is strengthened.
While some risk factors for type 2 diabetes cannot be controlled, others
can. Type 2 diabetes appears to have a genetic basis, which is beyond
an individual’s control. But it also is related to obesity and sedentary
lifestyle, which, with few exceptions, can be controlled through diet
and physical activity. Studies show that, regardless of ethnicity, more
than 20 percent of severely overweight children and adolescents have Impaired
Glucose Tolerance, or pre-diabetes. Lifestyle is key to being fit and
preventing obesity, and, for many, lifestyle habit changes are urgently
needed. The family is primary, but school and community must be included
in instituting and supporting positive dietary and physical activity changes.
Children are influenced by and limited by their environment. Maintaining
a diet balanced in fat calories and nutrients, increasing moderate to
vigorous physical activity to at least 30 minutes a day, and limiting
sedentary activities are essential lifestyle changes that need reinforcement.
Assessing Physical Activity and Adiposity in Children |
The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Kinesiology and Health
Education has developed a Resource
Guide for Predictive Factors and Methods of Assessing Physical Activity
and Adiposity in Children. (PDF, 275 kb, viewing
information)
The purpose of this report is three-fold:
- provides a detailed review of literature regarding the predictive
factors for overweight/adiposity and physical activity in children.
- serves as a resource guide in determining what methods are available
to measure both adiposity and physical activity in children, identifying
which methods are most suitable for use in communities and which are
more useful in research settings, and providing a discussion of the
values and limitations of each of the methods identified.
- provides quick reference resource charts for health professionals/health
educators to use in making evidence-based decisions when either developing
or reviewing any proposed projects.
Texas Pediatric Diabetes Research Advisory Committee |
During the 77th Texas Legislature, the Texas Diabetes Council was instrumental
in the passage of a landmark bill that created the Pediatric Diabetes
Research Advisory Committee (Senate Bill 1456/House Bill 3155). The charges
to the Committee were to:
- Develop a plan to research pediatric diabetes and associated medical
conditions in Texas,
- Assess the resources and talent of institutions in Texas as possible
sites for research opportunities,
- Analyze the impact of diabetes on the economy of Texas and on the
health of its residents, and
- Make recommendations to the Legislature and the Governor concerning
research programs in pediatric diabetes and funding alternatives for
the programs.
Senate Bill 19
The Texas Diabetes Council advocated for Senate Bill 19 during the 77th
Legislature. This bill amended the Education Code to authorize the State
Board of Education to require elementary school students to participate
in daily physical activity as part of a school district’s physical
education curriculum. The Board adopted the new requirements in the spring
of 2002, and each school district is required to implement a program approved
by the agency in each elementary school in the district no later than
September 1, 2007.
Texas Pediatric Diabetes Research Publications |
Pediatric Diabetes Research in Texas -
TDH Publication Number: E45-11653
The report from the Texas Pediatric Diabetes Research Advisory Committee
to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Speaker of the House of Representatives
recommends that diabetes in children be a reportable disease and that
the state create a Texas Pediatric Diabetes Research Resource. To read
the Advisory Committee’s complete report, click
here (PDF format, file size 399 kb).
Type 2 Diabetes and Children . . .
TDH Publication Number: E45-10961; TDH Publication Number: E45-10960
The product of a twelve-month study, the Type
2 Diabetes in Children and Adolescents Statewide Action Plan (PDF
format, 202 KB) outlines the significant steps that should be taken to
combat this emerging problem in Texas. Also view the companion to this
report, Putting
the Brakes on Diabetes: A Community Planning Guide to Improve Health and
Nutrition for Texas Children and Adolescents and Reduce the Risk of Type
2 Diabetes (PDF format, 407 KB).
Evaluating for Insulin Resistance. . . |
Pediatric overweight is increasingly common. In response to inquiries,
the Texas Department of State Health Services offers this resource information
for primary care clinicians.
Click
here to view (PDF, 52 kb)
Coordinated School Health Programs |
Senate Bill 19 (SB 19), enacted in 2001 by the 77th Texas Legislature
and amended by the 78th Texas Legislature, requires each school district,
by September 1, 2007, to participate in training for the implementation
of an approved coordinated school health program designed to prevent obesity,
cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes in elementary school students.
View
Resources for Coordinated School Health Programs (Link to Texas Education
Agency)
Last Updated March 26, 2007 |