140 Million Children at Risk of Type 2 diabetes
Today is the 22nd annual American Diabetes Association Alert DaySM but here’s the problem with that – I don’t really do causes. I’ve consider quite a few and I believe in several but I have yet to find any that move me to a level of passion so great that I feel the need to declare it’s importance to the world each and everyday. Not even this one that so deeply affects my everyday life. But there are things that I think are important enough that from time to time I want to share my limited knowledge and experience of them.
It is no secret (at least not anymore) that I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes just over a year ago. I’m an overweight black male with a deep family history of diabetes on both my mother’s and father’s side. It was inevitable really…no actually it wasn’t. I could have prevented my diagnosis for many years to come had I continued to eat well and live well.
My oldest son is currently the next most likely person in our family to grow up diabetic. (Even probably greater than his mother who inherited a diabetic history from her father and has had a baby weighing more than 9 pounds at birth – a lesser known risk factor). But the good news for my son is that he is only seven years old. So there is still plenty of time to arm him with the tools he needs to be healthy in his life.
According to the American Diabetes Association current trends show one in three children born today faces a future with diabetes. That calculates out to approximately 140 million children in the United States alone.
But diabetes can be prevented and that is my goal for not only my oldest son but for all of my children. According to Christine T. Tobin, RN, MBA, CDE, President, Health Care & Education, American Diabetes Association, ‘Studies have shown that type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed by losing just 5-7 percent of body weight through
30 minutes of regular physical activity, five days a week and healthy eating,’
The other day I had a quiet heart-to-heart with my son about his eating habits, our family’s eating habits, and how both were going to start to change drastically. He took it well and chose to try, and subsequently found that he liked, the meal that we had. The next day he chose to go without supper. We are in for a bumpy road ahead. But just between the two of us we have over forty years of bad eating habits to overcome and rehabilitate. It will not come easily.
If your child or the child of a close friend or loved one is at risk of growing up to a life with Type 2 diabetes join the movement to Stop Diabetes and get your free Diabetes Risk Test (English or Spanish), healthy lifestyle tips and more. Call 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383) or visit stopdiabetes.com.
The American Diabetes Association is leading the fight to stop diabetes and its deadly consequences and fighting for those affected by diabetes. The Association funds research to prevent, cure, and manage diabetes; delivers services to hundreds of communities; provides objective and credible information; and gives voice to those denied their rights because of diabetes.
For more information, please call the American Diabetes Association at 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383) or visit www.diabetes.org. Information from both these sources is available in English and Spanish.
