two girls

childhood diabetes

 

Related Information

Tell us what you think

We always love to hear what our customers think about issues important to them. Drop us a note here and let us know.

Healthy Funds for School Program

Find out how your school can make healthy profits without affecting kids waistlines.

Healthy Canteens Campaign

Find out how you can help change the menu now.

australia's fastest growing chronic disease

Co-existing with the rise in obesity is an increase in diabetes. According to Diabetes NSW, diabetes is a “condition where there is too much glucose (sugar) in the blood. Glucose is the main source of energy for the body and comes from carbohydrate foods we eat. Diabetes occurs when the body doesn't make insulin or when the insulin that is made is not working properly. This leads to increased blood glucose levels and diabetes”.

The Australian Diabetes Obesity and Lifestyle Study, which tested the health of 11,000 people and who were re-tested five years later in 2006, found that around two-thirds had gained weight or developed diabetes.  The study also found that 100,000 new cases of diabetes were diagnosed each year, with alarming rates for Type 2 diabetes among children and adolescents.

According to Diabetes Australia:

  • Over a million Australians have diabetes but almost half of them don't know it
  • Diabetes is Australia's fastest growing chronic disease
  • Diabetes is the seventh highest cause of death in Australia
  • An average of 55,000 people are diagnosed with diabetes every year
  • Total health bill for diabetes is around $1.2 billion a year

Most children with diabetes have Type 1 diabetes (also known as juvenile diabetes) which requires life-long insulin injections, healthy eating and regular exercise.  The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Australia says the causes of Type 1 diabetes are still largely unknown, although it appears to be triggered by environmental factors.

Type 2 diabetes usually affects people over the age of 40, although increasing rates are being observed in children and teenagers, associated with obesity and inactivity.  In 2004, Sydney doctors reported the rate of Type 2 diabetes amongst overweight children jumped 16-fold in the last decade.

Sufferers of Type 2 usually respond to a plan of healthy eating, exercise and weight reduction. Type 2 is the most common form, representing around 85-90% of diabetes cases. Around 900,000 Australians have Type 2 diabetes, and diabetes is the 6th highest cause of death in Australia.

Got some thoughts or comments you'd like to share with us? Contact us here. We'd love to hear from you.