Diabetes UK said worrying levels of childhood obesity had led to a “worrying rise” in the number of people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and predicted that the cost-of-living crisis could lead to further problems in the coming years. Data from NHS Digital show that almost one in seven children start obese in primary school – an increase of almost 50% in just one year. More than a quarter are obese by the time they finish elementary school. Subscribe to the First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7 p.m. BST High levels of obesity combined with squeezing personal finances create a “perfect storm that threatens to irreparably damage the health of young people,” Diabetes UK said. He accused the government of “disappointing our children” as it called for coordinated action to tackle obesity. It comes after the government decided to delay measures to reduce unhealthy eating, weakening its anti-obesity strategy by postponing for a year the ban on buying one, receiving a free offer for foods rich in fat, salt and sugar. Demand for caring for children with type 2 diabetes in pediatric diabetes units across England and Wales has grown by more than 50% in the last five years, according to a Diabetes UK analysis. A total of 973 children with type 2 diabetes underwent PDU treatment in 2020-21, up from 621 in 2015-16. PDUs employ a team of specialists in the care of children with type 2 diabetes, which may include counselors, nurses and dieticians. The team usually works in a hospital setting, where a child can see an outpatient appointment instead of seeing their GP. Previous statistics have shown that in England alone, around 1,600 children have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes UK reports that children in the poorer parts of England and Wales are “disproportionately affected” by the disease, with four in 10 children and young people with type 2 diabetes living in poorer areas, compared with only one in 19 richer. This is similar to data on the prevalence of childhood obesity, he said. The charity said that in light of the additional burden of the cost-of-living crisis, the poorest children “will carry the most weight for decades to come”. Chris Askew, Managing Director of Diabetes UK, said: the effects of the cost of living crisis. “The government must fully reconsider its commitment to children’s health. This must begin with the urgent reversal of the decision to step down to their obesity strategy commitments and go even further, with bold steps to tackle childhood obesity and poorer outcomes for children living in poverty in impending White Paper on health inequalities. “The UK Government is disappointing our children. “With the growing number of children now living with obesity and the numbers diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in a very worrying rise, we are facing a perfect storm, which is irreparably endangering the health of young people.”
