It Takes A Community
TO HELP KIDS STAY FREE FROM DIABETES
a chronic (long-lasting) health condition
an everyday job. It requires daily self management, which can be challenging and time consuming
costly: medical expenses for people with diabetes are more than twice as high compared to people who don’t have diabetes
dangerous: aside from it’s own health complications, diabetes can also cause other serious health problems, such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease
Type 2 diabetes is:
Type 2 diabetes is also preventable!
Did you know?
A Growing Problem
Until recently, kids almost never got type 2 diabetes, which is why it used to be called adult-onset diabetes. Now, about one-third of American children are overweight or have obesity, a problem closely related to the increase in kids with type 2 diabetes.
Risk Factors
Being overweight or obese – the more fatty tissue, the more resistant bodies’ cells become to insulin.
Being inactive. Engaging in physical activity lowers the risk for type 2 diabetes because it helps the body use insulin better, decreasing insulin resistance.
Eating unhealthy foods and drinking sugar sweetened beverages.
Having a family member with type 2 diabetes.
Being born to a mom with gestational diabetes (diabetes while pregnant).
Having a low birth weight or preterm birth.
Being African American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American/Alaska Native, Asian American, or Pacific Islander.
How communities can make a difference:
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Nutrition and physical activity lessons can be woven into the curriculum-in core classroom subjects, physical education, and after-school programs-to teach skills that help students develop healthy lifestyles. Schools can also take actions like eliminating sugary sodas and snacks. All of this can help kids maintain a healthy weight which reduces their risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
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Community centers can host youth sports leagues and other programs that give kids the opportunity to be physically active. This lowers the risk for type 2 diabetes because it helps the body use insulin better, decreasing insulin resistance. Physical activity improves health in lots of other ways, too, from controlling blood pressure to boosting mental health.
But these programs need to be as accessible as possible. Even offering scholarships can sometimes create too much red tape for families to navigate. Offering the programs for free or on an automatic sliding fee scale can improve their accessibility.
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Playgrounds and parks are environments where kids can be physically active. But they need to be safe in terms of equipment and its surroundings.
Learn more about improving park safety.
Complete streets policies can make it easier to be active by biking or walking to destinations.
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Community based organizations and churches can partner with local hospitals or medical offices to host events that screen kids for diabetes and its risk factors.
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Know More in 2024 (see flyer here)
What parents and caregivers can do:
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-Ban habits that lead to overeating. Eating in front of screens can make kids mindlessly overeat. Have kids eat at the table and use a plate.
-Control food portions. Don't let kids overeat. Switch to smaller plates to encourage smaller portions.
-Try to limit buying junk food. Offer low-calorie snacks, such as carrots, celery, hard boiled eggs, low-fat cheese, nuts & peanut butter or fresh fruit.
-Limit or get rid of soda and other sweetened drinks. These have a lot of calories with little nutritional value. Serve low-fat dairy products. Encourage kids to drink water. Advocate for your school to have drinking fountains and water bottle filling stations.
-Delay seconds at mealtime. Wait 15 to 20 minutes before you offer seconds.
-Read the Nutrition Facts label on foods. You can use the information to plan meals with more fiber and less added sugar. It can also help with portion sizes.
-Encourage kids to exercise and move. It’s recommended that kids have an hour of vigorous exercise most days. Besides advocating to your kids’ school to increase physical activity and have daily physical education classes, encourage your kids to move around the house helping with chores or active play indoors or outdoors if it’s safe, like jumping rope, running or jogging, bike riding when possible.
-Cut back onscreen time. Limit the time your child spends on their phone or computer, playing video games, and watching TV. Two hours a day or less is all that's recommended.
-Set a good example. It's important for you to eat a healthy diet and exercise, too.
If you have questions about your child's nutritional needs, talk with your child's healthcare provider. Using the above recommendations will reduce your child's risks of developing diabetes as well as several other conditions linked to weight gain, including asthma and heart disease.
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This toolkit from ACLU Southern California has some helpful tips about advocating to your school districts. While some of the information is California based, the advocacy methods could be replicated in Louisville, Kentucky.
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Advocating to community leaders can come in the form of phone calls, emails, letters, petitions, public meetings, and more. Use these methods to let your local leaders know that you want to see action taken around the childhood diabetes crisis. Below is an email/letter template you can download and use as a starting point.
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Want to discuss diabetes with your child’s doctor? This article contains questions that can help start the conversation.
You can also watch this Mayo Clinic Minute video on YouTube for more information.
