Two Publications Help Prevent and Manage Diabetes among Youth
December 22, 2009 - Two recently released publications help school policymakers and staff better prevent and manage diabetes among youth. The first publication is a revised and updated school kit released by the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) American Indian/Alaska Native Work Group directed to prevent diabetes among American Indian youth – the ethnic group most affected by the disease. The second publication is a special feature of the September/October 2009 issue of the American Journal of Health Education, which covers an array of issues related to diabetes prevention, treatment and management among youth.
Diabetes is one of the most common diseases in school-aged children. In 2007, about 186,300 young people under age 20 were reported to have diabetes mellitus type 1 (lack of insulin) or type 2 (insulin resistance). Unlike type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes is a preventable condition. Type 1 diabetes typically affects people when they are young; as obesity rates in children have risen, type 2 diabetes has become increasingly more common among young people. Type 2 diabetes is rare in children under ten years of age, regardless of race or ethnicity. After ten years of age, however, the incidence of type 2 diabetes increases, especially among minority populations, representing 14.9% of newly diagnosed cases of diabetes in non-Hispanic whites, 46.1% in Hispanic youth, 57.8% in African Americans, 69.7% in Asian/Pacific Islanders, and 86.2% in American Indian youth.
The school kit is targeted at American Indian youth, but can be adapted to other ethnic and racial groups as well. The kit encourages physical activity in the school setting to help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. It includes fact sheets with information on diabetes, posters, examples of successful school activities using the kit’s materials, and specific resources and tips for kids that can be used to help prevent type 2 diabetes.
The journal issue presents practical evidence-based information to help health educators and key school personnel address the needs of youth at risk for diabetes, as well as youth who have diabetes. The featured articles show how young people and their families need help to: develop healthy eating and physical activity habits to both treat and prevent diabetes; utilize new diabetes management technologies; cope with psychosocial stressors associated with diabetes management; function fully and safely in all school activities; and access helpful community resources.
Throughout the publication, emphasis is placed on the need for young people to eat healthy and exercise to both manage this condition, if they have it, and to prevent it as well – children and adolescents need at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily and need to eat a balanced diet, filled with fruits and vegetables, and low in saturated fat and sugar.
The articles relay that there are unique issues for young people with diabetes and those issues can be particularly difficult to deal within the school setting. For instance, self-care tasks need planning and carrying them out can make children feel “different” than their classmates. And this can be especially bothersome or stigmatizing for teens. In addition, learning to cope and manage diabetes may cause emotional and behavioral challenges, which can sometimes lead to depression.
The publication shows that schools can provide help for such hurdles by providing counseling services. Moreover, within schools, several federal and some state laws can be used to provide protections for children with diabetes. These laws help ensure that all students with diabetes are educated in a medically safe environment and have the same access to educational opportunities as their peers. The publication also states that it is imperative that schools provide a written plan that outlines the student’s diabetes management and helps students, families and school staff and health care providers know what’s expected of them. In addition, it is important to acknowledge that the school nurse is the most appropriate person to coordinate care for students with diabetes and to train, monitor and supervise school personnel dealing with students with diabetes.
Source: “Move It! And Reduce Your Risk of Diabetes,” the National Diabetes Education Program American Indian/Alaska Native Work Group; and American Journal of Health Education, September/October 2009, Volume 40, No. 5.