Welcome, visitor! [ Login

School Environment Affects Diabetes Risk

Uncategorized May 30, 2025

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

3384 total views, 1 today

  

Sponsored Links

  • School Guide Teaches ABCs of Diabetes

    by on May 29, 2025 - 0 Comments

    School Guide Teaches ABCs of Diabetes School-age children with diabetes face unique challenges. They may be vulnerable to serious swings in their blood glucose levels at any time. A newly updated booklet, “Helping the Student with Diabetes Succeed: A Guide for School Personnel,” can help. The guide offers suggestions for parents, teachers, principals and others to ensure […]

  • School Environment Affects Diabetes Risk

    by on May 30, 2025 - 0 Comments

    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. […]

  • Are Proteins in Formula Linked to Type 1 Diabetes?

    by on 6 hours ago - 0 Comments

    Are Proteins in Formula Linked to Type 1 Diabetes? The study’s results don’t suggest any changes in guidelines for formula feeding to prevent type 1 diabetes. Purestock/Thinkstock For decades, researchers have puzzled over why type 1 diabetes is becoming more common. Type 1 diabetes is a serious disease in which the body destroys the cells that […]

  • Breastfeeding May Help Health After Gestational Diabetes

    by on May 28, 2025 - 0 Comments

    Breastfeeding May Help Health After Gestational Diabetes A study suggests that breastfeeding may help women with a history of gestational diabetes from later developing type 2 diabetes. About 5-9% of pregnant women nationwide develop high blood sugar levels even though they didn’t have diabetes before pregnancy. This condition, called gestational diabetes, raises a woman’s risk […]

  • Five Lifestyle Factors Lower Diabetes Risk

    by on May 27, 2025 - 0 Comments

    Five Lifestyle Factors Lower Diabetes Risk A new study found that a combination of 5 healthy lifestyle factors may help reduce the chance of developing type 2 diabetes, even if family history puts you at risk for the disease. People with diabetes have too high levels of glucose, a type of sugar, in their blood. […]