Obesity causing a rise in diabetes among children: Study

NEW DELHI - Obesity is increasing the risk of diabetes among children, a study conducted here said Friday.

“Over a three-year period, obesity has increased from 9.8 percent to 11.7 percent in children. Obesity has caused a rise in diabetes among children,” said Anoop Misra, director and head, department of diabetes and metabolic diseases at Fortis hospitals in Delhi.

The study was conducted by the National Diabetes, Obesity and Cholesterol Foundation N-DOC.

“When we talk of obesity in children, we first take into account their dietary habits and nutrition. High carbohydrate intake is a big factor that counts,” said Misra, also the chairman of N-DOC.

The survey, also conducted in Dehradun, Jaipur, Lucknow, Agra and Mumbai, revealed startling data on the lack of awareness about diabetes monitoring techniques among patients.

Nearly 50 percent of diabetics are unaware of the proper insulin injection techniques, the study revealed.

According to a report by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) in 2009, India accounted for 50.8 million diabetes patients — the largest of the 285 million diabetics in the world.

China followed India with 43.2 million diabetics, while the United States had 26.8 million diabetes.

Nearly nine percent of the country’s population is expected to be affected by the disease.

Diabetes, a metabolic disorder, usually occurs when the body does not produce or properly uses insulin — a hormone that is required to convert sugar and other food into energy.

“Some of the common symptoms are increased fatigue, frequent urination, weight fluctuation, blurry vision, and poor wound healing,” Misra explained.