The American Pediatric Type 2 Diabetes Epidemic: Considerations for Targeted Diabetes Prevention Programs

Childhood obesity is an identified risk factor for several long-term health issues such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death within the United States. The CDC has implemented an evidence-based program, The National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), to prevent the development of T2DM among individuals with prediabetes. Prediabetes is defined as having elevated glucose levels glycated hemoglobin [A1C] levels between 5.7%-6.5%) that are not elevated enough to meet diabetes diagnosis criteria (A1C levels \u3e 6.5%). The DPP is a lifestyle change program that has shown that the risk for developing T2DM can be reduced by 50% by increased physical activity and healthier eating practices. There has been a significant increase in T2DM within the pediatric population over past twenty years, which is greatly affected by obesity. Evidenced-based lifestyle interventions for children are important. Several programs are emerging that utilize the basis of the DPP lifestyle interventions that have been proven successful in adults in the youth population. Of these programs, Riley Children’s Health Get a Move On and Powerhouse, University of Nevada at Las Vegas adapted DPP program, and Yale University’s Bright Bodies Management Program have shown success in the youth population. The youth diabetes prevention program (YDPP) requires further exploration and identification of best practices to implement in school based and/or youth settings to combat the epidemic of type 2 diabetes in the youth population