According to the nation's top
diabetes specialists, there has been a tremendous rise in the
number of children under the age of 18 being diagnosed with Type 2
diabetes. Type 2 diabetes was rarely seen in anyone under the age
of 40. However, over the past few years, the statistics have
changed for the worse.
The concern within the medical community is that the continued rise
in childhood obesity, coupled with the progressive decrease in the
number of active children, will continue to be the main culprits
responsible for pediatric Type 2 diabetes. Add to this, the
progressive decline in the number of active children &, if we
don't act now, we're headed for a major disaster.
Did you realize that almost 1 out of every 3 children in the United States today is overweight or obese? (Many predict the incidence is closer to 2 out of every 5!) According to the Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), the number of overweight children has increased by more than 50% within the past twenty years.
They have also discovered that up to 65% of these school aged children have at least one major risk factor for heart disease (such as high blood pressure, glucose intolerance &/or high cholesterol levels). With this in mind, you can see that the time is now for us, as parents, to take preventive measures. Our children's health is at stake.
The number of overweight children in the U.S. is increasing at an alarming rate.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see how technology, coupled with "life on the run" has affected our society.
Sure, it's wonderful to be able to search the internet, communicate with other continents & fly to the moon but think back to your own childhood. What did you do after school? I bet you didn't sit in front of a VCR or play video games. Yet, that's exactly what we are allowing our children to do.
Whatever happened to playing outside? Honestly, I believe outdoor play may be becoming extinct.