A multicomponent school-based intervention
has demonstrated partial success in reducing adiposity and diabetes
risk in high-risk sixth-grade students.

The US federally funded study, called “HEALTHY,” failed to
decrease the combined prevalence of overweight and obesity but did
reduce obesity rates and fasting insulin when compared with
non-intervention schools.

The study appears in the New England Journal of Medicine
to coincide with presentation of the results at the 70th annual
scientific sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in
Orlando, Florida. The study was co-funded by the National Institute
for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, part of the
National Institutes of Health, and the ADA.

The goal of the HEALTHY study was to determine whether healthier
food choices, an increase in physical activity, and
health-promoting activities and awareness campaigns would reduce
risk factors for Type 2 diabetes.

Because Type 2 diabetes disproportionately affects ethnic
minorities and low-income individuals, the study was conducted in
schools with a preponderance of children from these groups.

Using a cluster design, 42 schools were randomly assigned to
intervention or no intervention (control). A total of 4603 children
participated; their mean age was 11.3 years, 54.3% were Hispanic,
18% were African American, and 75% were eligible for free or
reduced-price meals.

The intervention lasted from the beginning of sixth grade to the
end of the eighth grade. It had three components: Healthier choices
in the cafeteria, snack bars, class events, and vending machines;
longer, more intense periods of physical activity; and activities
and awareness campaigns that promoted long-term healthy
behaviors.

The study’s primary outcome - the combined prevalence of
overweight and obesity - fell by 4.1% in control schools and by
4.5% in intervention schools, a non-significant difference.

The reduction in overweight and obesity in control schools was
“a welcome but unexpected finding,” remarked Gary Foster (Temple
University, Philadelphia), the study’s lead author. “Future
analyses will try to clarify the reasons for the improvement in
these schools.”

Some other outcomes did differ between intervention and control
schools. For instance, students in intervention schools who were
overweight/obese in the sixth grade were 21% less likely to be
obese at the end of the eighth grade compared with their
counterparts in control schools.

Furthermore, intervention schools had a significantly lower
percentage of students with a waist circumference at or above the
90th percentile at the end of the study (21.3% vs 22.7%).
Additionally, mean insulin levels in the eighth grade were
significantly lower in students in intervention versus control
schools (16.9 vs 17.4 U/ml).

The investigators conclude: “These changes may reduce the risk
of childhood-onset Type 2 diabetes.”

“We will only stop the diabetes epidemic if we continue to test
innovative approaches to help children make healthy lifestyle
choices,” remarked Richard Bergenstal, president of Medicine and
Science at the ADA. “The HEALTHY Study shows us an effective
approach that can be implemented to improve the outcomes of a large
number of youth at very high risk of diabetes.”

MedWire (www.medwire-news.md) is an independent clinical news
service provided by Current Medicine Group, a trading division of
Springer Healthcare Limited. © Springer Healthcare Ltd;
2010

Free abstract

Diabetes is a very common disease among almost, if not, all countries across the globe. Morbidity and mortality rates are enough evidences of how this disease has affected quite a lot of people even in cases when it is not the main source of death, there were complications with diabetes found among most patients. With such debilitating and serious effects, it is important to be able to make use of diabetes management effectively.

Defined as a medical condition revolving around the body’s reaction to insulin, diabetes actually is of two types. Basically, the pancreas produces insulin, which is the reason why cells can absorb glucose for the purpose of turning it into energy. In the absence of insulin or when there is insufficient amount of it, glucose tends to get accumulated in the blood. This can result to different complications.

People with diabetes tend to experience frequent hunger and feeling of being thirsty. They also urinate more frequently than the usual. Weight loss, eyesight problems and feelings of fatigue and irritation can also be observed. Another very popular signs of diabetes is the slow healing of cuts, bruises and other wounds. Skin, gum, bladder and other infections tend to reoccur.

These symptoms might not occur all at the same time. In fact, there are cases where only one of these is observed. One should be constantly on the lookout for irregularities in the bodily functions in order to avoid going past certain symptoms that might be related with serious diseases such as diabetes.

It is a trusted fact that prevention has always been better than cure no matter what diseases they come in. Statistics show that the onset of type 2 diabetes is during adulthood, but in the recent years, obesity rates grew tremendously, and diabetes grew hand in hand with it. The most effective way to avoid having diabetes is to maintain a healthy obesity-free lifestyle.

For those with diabetes, there is a great need for a complete lifestyle makeover. One of the basic things to do is to incorporate regular exercise into one’s daily activities. The goal with this is to burn as much glucose as possible since insulin, the main one responsible for such, cannot fully live up to its purpose. More so, one should be wary of his own body weight. Obesity is highly associated with the development of diabetes.

Another change that should be taken is regarding one’s diet. Although the no-sugar diet is a myth, it is still very important for a person with diabetes to refrain from consuming much sugar. The idea is to have a healthy and balanced diet. The body still needs sugar, but it takes much insulin to break it down into energy. For a healthier diet, one can incorporate high fiber foods items as well as soya products. As a matter of fact, scientific studies can back up the good effects of such a diet on diabetes patients.

The management of diabetes takes as much effort as other serious diseases. However, all of these are worth it considering the positive results in the end.