Welcome, visitor! [ Login

School Environment Affects Diabetes Risk

Uncategorized January 4, 2024

School Environment Affects Diabetes Risk

Healthier foods at school, longer and more intense physical activity and lessons in healthy lifestyles can reduce obesity and other risk factors for diabetes. These findings, from an NIH-funded study, suggest that school-based changes might help at-risk kids improve their health.

Nearly 1 in 5 school-age children in the U.S. is obese. This excess weight can lead to many health problems. The most serious is type 2 diabetes.

The new study was conducted at 42 middle schools where many students are minorities or from low-income families. Half the schools were randomly chosen to use the study’s “intervention” program: longer gym classes, more nutritious foods and education in healthy behaviors.

About 4,600 students were tracked from the beginning of 6th to the end of 8th grade. At the start, nearly half were overweight or obese. Many had other signs of high diabetes risk.

At the end of the study, kids who had been overweight or obese at the intervention schools had a 21% lower obesity rate than those at the comparison schools. Other diabetes risk factors, like larger waist size, also fell more at the intervention schools.

“The study shows that a school-based program can help lower obesity and certain risk factors for type 2 diabetes in youth at high risk for the disease,” says Dr. Griffin P. Rodgers, director of NIH’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

No Tags

2524 total views, 1 today

  

Sponsored Links

  • Diabetes and Risk for Heart Disease and Stroke

    by on January 6, 2024 - 0 Comments

    Diabetes and Risk for Heart Disease and Stroke Having type 2 diabetes increases the risk of cardiovascular events, like stroke or heart attack. For nearly a decade, NIH has supported a large clinical trial called the ACCORD study. It aimed to find ways to reduce the likelihood of cardiovascular events in adults with type 2 diabetes who […]

  • Think Twice Before Eating White Rice?

    by on January 8, 2024 - 0 Comments

    Think Twice Before Eating White Rice? Eating more white rice raised the risk for type 2 diabetes in a large clinical study, whereas eating more brown rice reduced the risk. Type 2 diabetes is one of the fastest growing health problems in Americans of all ages. Being overweight or inactive increases your chances of developing […]

  • Cone Snail Venom Reveals Insulin Insights

    by on January 9, 2024 - 0 Comments

    Cone Snail Venom Reveals Insulin Insights A marine cone snail hunting a fish. Photo courtesy of Dr. Baldomero Olivera, University of Utah The marine cone snail has an unusual survival mechanism that offers new insights for managing diabetes. The snail releases an insulin-containing venom that acts within seconds to stun nearby fish, so they’re easier to […]

  • How Your Eating Habits Affect Your Health

    by on January 10, 2024 - 0 Comments

    How Your Eating Habits Affect Your Health   A healthy eating plan lowers your risk for heart disease and other health conditions. m-imagephotography/iStock/Thinkstock A new study shows how the things you eat can influence your risk of dying from heart disease, stroke, or type 2 diabetes. The findings suggest ways to change your eating habits to […]

  • Healthy Body, Happy Heart

    by on January 7, 2024 - 0 Comments

    Healthy Body, Happy Heart Improve Your Heart Health Every moment of the day, your heart is pumping blood throughout your body. In silent moments, you can hear the thump-thump-thump of its demanding work. Do you take your heart for granted? Most of us will have heart trouble at some point in our lives. Heart disease […]