Obesity crisis: Type 2 diabetes in children up by nearly half in five years

Obesity crisis: Type 2 diabetes in children up by nearly half in five years The number of children and young people being treated for Type 2 diabetes, a condition normally seen only in older adults and often linked to obesity, has rocketed by nearly 50 per cent in just five years, new analysis by the Local Government Association reveals.

Latest figures obtained by the LGA, which represents councils in England and Wales, show there were almost 750 cases of those aged under 25 who received care for Type 2 diabetes from Paediatric Diabetes Units in 2017/18. The first cases of Type 2 diabetes in children were diagnosed less than 20 years ago.

Councils, which are responsible for public health, says this highlights the urgent need to tackle one of the nation’s biggest health challenges in childhood obesity.

See also:

• Alarm as childhood Type 2 diabetes rockets 50 per cent in five years The Daily Telegraph
• Schools should be kept open all summer, running sports clubs, in a bid to tackle Britain's growing obesity crisis The Daily Telegraph