Type 2 diabetes treatment rates in children and young people, a
condition normally seen only in older adults and closely linked
to obesity, has rocketed by nearly 60 per cent in just five
years, new analysis by the Local Government Association reveals
today.
Latest figures obtained by the LGA, which represents councils in
England and Wales, show there were 866 cases of those aged under
25 reported to have Type 2 diabetes and who received treatment
from Paediatric Diabetes Units in 2019/20, up by 76 (9.6 per
cent) on the previous year and an increase of 322 (59 per cent)
on 2014/15.
The figures are included in the latest annual report by the
National Paediatric Diabetes Audit (NPDA), published by the Royal
College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
Councils, which are responsible for public health, say the latest
figures highlight the urgent need to kickstart efforts to tackle
childhood obesity following repeated lockdowns and the impact of
the pandemic, which has meant some children and young people have
found it harder to access support to manage their weight and live
more healthily.
In particular, councils say the forthcoming Spending Review must
provide greater investment in community sports and leisure
facilities, along with adequate long-term funding for local
authority weight management services and healthy schools
initiatives via the public health grant.
The first cases of Type 2 diabetes in children were diagnosed
about 20 years ago, with the latest figures showing those from
ethnic minorities and living in the most deprived areas were
disproportionately affected.
People with diabetes are more likely to have serious
complications from COVID-19, based on data in adults, while
obesity itself is a major health issue and a leading risk factor
which could lead to serious illness or death from the virus.
While not every case of Type 2 diabetes is as a result of being
overweight and obese, it is the single greatest risk factor.
According to the NPDA, 84.2 per cent of the children and young
people treated for Type 2 diabetes were registered as obese, a
figure which has remained broadly the same for the last four
years.
However, as these figures only relate to those treated in
paediatric practice, and not for example, primary care, the
actual number of young people with Type 2 diabetes is likely to
be even higher.
Councils also say more needs to be done to reach out to certain
social and ethnic minority groups, where there is a
disproportionately higher number of children and young people
with Type 2 diabetes. There were proportionally more girls, those
of non-white ethnicity, and those living in the most deprived
areas among those with Type 2 diabetes.
Cllr David Fothergill, Chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing
Board, said:
“Childhood obesity is one of the biggest public health challenges
we face, which has been made all the more urgent by COVID-19 and
the extra risk to those who are overweight and obese.
“It is extremely worrying that we are seeing more young people
develop Type 2 diabetes, a preventable condition which is rare in
children and more typically develops in adults over the age of
40.
“These figures are yet another sobering reminder that there is
much more to do to reach the Government’s bold ambition of
halving the number of children with obesity by the end of the
decade.
“Councils have been leading the local response to COVD-19 and
continue to be on the frontline in the fight against obesity and
to keep people healthy throughout their lives, reducing pressure
on the NHS and other public services.
“This is why the Government should use the upcoming Spending
Review to invest in councils’ public health budgets, if we are to
realise our shared ambition of helping our children and young
people live healthier lives as we build back better from the
pandemic.”
Notes to Editors
- Type 2 diabetes can lead to a range of serious health
problems such as blindness, heart disease, kidney failure and
lower limb amputation.
- Unlike Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 is largely preventable and is
closely linked to lifestyle, such as unhealthy eating or lack of
exercise.
- The first cases of Type 2 diabetes in children were diagnosed
in overweight girls of Asian ethnic origin in 2000 and first
reported in white adolescents in 2002.
