Increasing physical activity and reducing screen time might prevent type 2 diabetes in adolescents, says a pediatrician.
In an interview with Philippe-Vincent Foisy at QUB radio, Mélanie Henderson, who is also an endocrinologist and epidemiologist at the CHU Sainte-Justine, explained that a cohort of young people with a parental history of obesity was studied.
“We looked over time at the factors that might prevent type 2 diabetes through innovative static methods. Increasing physical activity by 10 minutes a day between the ages of 8 to 10 and 15 to 17 would improve certain parameters to prevent type 2 diabetes.
In the same vein, the health professional pointed out that reducing screen time by one hour a day would also have a favorable effect on young people. According to her, screen time alone has an impact on the cardiovascular health of individuals.
“We have more and more evidence for adults that not moving for a long period of time is bad for your health and we have evidence in children,” added Dr Henderson.
Previously, we mainly saw type 2 diabetes in adult clients. However, it is increasingly common among children, she observed.
“It’s a lot more aggressive when it settles into childhood. Failure to treatment is very rapid and young people have complications as soon as they are diagnosed. In addition, they have comorbidities, associated diseases like high blood pressure and cholesterol. We need to focus on prevention methods,” said the pediatrician, adding that type 2 diabetes diagnosed in children has a mortality rate twice as high in adulthood compared to type 1. .
“It’s a disease that brings a lot of health problems and we have an interest in focusing on vulnerable young people,” she said.
By way of conclusion, Ms. Henderson mentioned that it is not necessary for a young person to do 120 minutes of physical activity a day to improve their lot. She hopes that decision-makers think regarding modifying the school curriculum in order to have an impact among young people at risk. She would also like to see investments made in cardiometabolic disease prevention programs.