The world’s top supplier of commercial blood pressure monitors and health systems management, LifeClinic Personal Health Management, reports that by the year 2025 diabetes will affect nearly nine percent of the population. The American Diabetes Association reports in 2007 that 23.6 million Americans, adults and children are affected by diabetes.
Diabetes occurs when the body is unable to use up all its glucose for energy. Good nutrition and exercise are the best way to stay healthy and ward off, or control diabetes. The food pyramid is a good diet to practice. Complex sugar and carbohydrates (glucose) should be substituted for simple sugar and carbohydrates. Simple sugars and carbohydrates break down quickly and go straight to the blood stream. If there is not enough activity, the body becomes unable to absorb all of the excess sugar and weight gain and diabetes are the result. Too much fat in the diet is just as bad as too much sugar.
There are two types of diabetes, type I and type 2. Type 2 diabetes is the one more easily controlled and prevented, the one I will address. Students from kindergarten to the eighth grade are hardly concerned with the benefits of good nutrition or exercise. They spend more than half of the year in school, and eat more often than not, two meals at school, therefore, it is the schools administrators’ duty to make sure that their needs are met. ABC Evening News, which has investigated several school districts, reported that several American schools are becoming aware of the obese pestilent in their schools, and are trying to prepare more nutritious foods for their students.
Despite the amount of time spent in schools, students do go home, sometimes to parent themselves. Like the typical child, they will indulge themselves with taste rather than nutrition. As much as changing the menu, schools will also need to start educating students on the ramifications of poor nutrition.
Dr. Steven Dawshen, Chief Medical Editor of Kids Health, suggested that, “...teens [should] get at least one hour of physical education all days of the week, yet physical activity tends to decline during the teen years.” Unfortunately, with budget cuts in education, and in states like Florida, where the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) is paramount, physical education is no longer a priority in schools. In this twenty first century of advanced technology, students have too many technical attractions to force themselves to exercise, therefore, schools should make Physical Education as important as the three “Rs.”
Diabetes is a silent killer, and if America is waiting until it screams, “Here I am, good nutrition and exercise are what your children need,” to intervene in the health of our children, our children are already dead. Consequently, the schools, where our children spend most of their time, will have to take the torch, run with it, and keep our children alive.
Bibliography
American Diabetes Association (1195 – 2010). Type 2 Diabetes in Children. [accessed September 13, 2010].
Kids Health (May, 2009). Fitness and Your 13 -18 Year Old.
LifeClinic International Inc. (2010). Diabetes Basic - What is Diabetes. Retrieved September 13, 2010, [accessed September 13, 2010]
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