Katharina Buczek
It is no secret that the United States has been battling a childhood obesity epidemic for decades. According to the CDC, the prevalence of childhood obesity skyrocketed during the 1980s and 1990s– with rates tripling from 5% during the 1960s to approximately 15%.
And now, the most recent analysis conducted by the agency revealed that this rate has only continued to increase.
From 2017 to 2020, the prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents between the ages of 2 and 19 was nearly 20%– affecting almost 15 million young people.
At the same time, the incidence of diabetes among American youth has also been a rising cause for alarm.
In August of 2021, the CDC even declared there were “concerning increases” in the prevalence of diabetes among people under the age of 20.
The center detailed how new research uncovered that from 2001 to 2017, the estimated number of people between the ages of 10 and 19 living with type 2 diabetes nearly doubled.
While it has long been thought that being overweight or obese is a driving risk factor for developing this disease, though, a new study conducted by researchers at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, has uncovered a disconnect. More specifically, not all type 2 diabetes pediatric patients actually have obesity.
The study was led by M.D. candidate Milena Cioana and her team, who conducted a systematic review of 53 studies, which included over 8,900 participants.
They ultimately found that the prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents with type 2 diabetes was just over 75%.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
