Diabetes Prevention: Using New, Innovative Ideas to Decrease Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Children

White, Avery

Publication

Diabetes Prevention: Using New, Innovative Ideas to Decrease Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Children

White, Avery

Description

Diabetes mellitus is a disease with centuries of history, but knowledge about this disease and its treatment has increased excrementally in the past hundred years. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) occurs when the body is not capable of producing a sufficient amount of insulin or when cells acquire insulin resistance (Polonsky, 2012). T2DM’s prevalence has risen drastically in the previous 20 years, and it is predicted that 1 in 3 people will have diabetes by 2050 (Polonsky, 2012). Weight gain and obesity are associated with T2DM. Approximately one-third of children in the United States in 2014 were either overweight or obese (Pulgaron, 2014). Childhood obesity and the diagnosis of T2DM in younger children are both increasing (Pulgaron, 2014). The purpose of this research was to analyze articles for new, innovative ideas to assist with decreasing the prevalence of obesity and T2DM in children. Research was obtained using WyoLibraries and Pubmed to collect articles containing the key terms: “type 2 diabetes in children”, “history of diabetes mellitus”, “increase in type 2 diabetes”, “obesity in children” “type 2 diabetes risk factors”, “stress management type 2 diabetes”, and “type 2 diabetes team based approach”. Risk factors (lifestyle, gender, puberty, race/ ethnicity, genetics), prevention strategies and protective factors (distinguishing those at risk, lifestyle behavior changes, pharmacological therapy, early diagnosis) were identified. The introduction of teaching kitchens, improvement of communication in healthcare, reducing stress levels and team based approaches were recognized as ways to decrease T2DM’s prevalence in children.