ABSTRACT
During the last two decades, type 2 diabetes mellitus increasingly has been seen in children. Although still not as common as type 1 diabetes among children, it has become the leading form of diabetes among adolescents of certain ethnicities. It is imperative that primary care providers recognize the risk factors, perform appropriate screening tests, and initiate therapy for children who have type 2 diabetes or prediabetes. This article discusses the epidemiology and pathogenesis of the disease, complications, and treatments, and includes a concise, easy-to-follow algorithm to assist providers in diagnosing and treating young patients.
Subject(s)
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/diagnosis , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/therapy , Adolescent , Age Factors , Algorithms , Child , Comorbidity , Cross-Sectional Studies , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/epidemiology , Diet, Diabetic , Energy Intake , Female , Health Surveys , Humans , Insulin Resistance , Life Style , Male , Mass Screening , Minnesota , Obesity/complications , Obesity/epidemiology , Overweight/complications , Overweight/epidemiology , Prediabetic State/diagnosis , Prediabetic State/epidemiology , Prediabetic State/therapy , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
Every child with diabetes deserves a school nurse with the capacity to effectively manage the disease at school. The school nurse needs knowledge and skills to confidently provide care and communicate with health care providers and families. The Healthy Learner Model for Chronic Condition Management provided a framework to eliminate the disjointed approach to diabetes management at school, replacing it with a consistent, evidence-based approach. A diabetes resource nurse was a key component, providing support for the school nurse and collaboration between the school, community, family, and health care providers. Funded by a cooperative agreement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) chose five sites from across the country to implement this program-a project titled Managing and Preventing Diabetes and Weight Gain (MAP). This article describes the experience of two sites.
