Childhood Obesity & Diabetes

Childhood obesity puts children at greater risk for type 2 diabetes, which can result in serious health problems not normally found in children. These health problems include heart disease and risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, and other severe health problems.

This alarming news is one reason pediatricians, parents, and even national leaders have recently become seriously concerned with preventing childhood obesity. Until recent years, medical research indicated that diabetes in children and adolescents was immune-system related diabetes, or type 1 diabetes, but new occurrences of type 2 diabetes in children indicates that excessive weight can cause type 2 in children the way it does adults. This is the first time in history that the incidence of type 2 diabetes has exceeded the incidence of type 1 diabetes found in children and adolescents. While medical experts know that genetics plays an important role in an individual's risk for diabetes, it is well established that obesity is a major risk factor for development of type 2 diabetes.

That's why there's so much concern today about childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes. If your child is overweight or may even be obese, see your pediatrician immediately. Your doctor can screen your child for type 2 diabetes. Screening is often recommended when a child's Body Mass Index, or BMI, is greater than the 85th percentile for children of the same gender and age or if your child's weight is greater than 120% the ideal weight for his or her height, gender and age.

Other risk factors for type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents, besides childhood obesity, include:

If a child diagnosed with childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes or is considered at risk for type 2 diabetes, pediatricians often recommend a childhood obesity treatment plan that involves lifestyle changes including diet and exercise.