Although type 2 diabetes primarily affects adults, children across the country are developing it at an alarming rate. Type 2 diabetes occurs when your body becomes resistant to insulin This is needed to help the body regulate blood sugar. This disease can be life-altering and poses a great threat to a person’s health and well-being. Therefore, prevention of diabetes in children is of paramount importance.
Childhood obesity is an important factor Rising incidence of type 2 diabetes in children, now one in three of US children are overweight. Specifically, in Connecticut, 15.3% of children aged 10-17 are struggling with obesity. In most cases, childhood obesity can be prevented by healthy diet and regular exerciseHowever, in many low-income communities with some of the highest rates of childhood obesity, many caregivers do not have the means or resources to help prevent conditions like diabetes in children.
although Physical activity is an important preventive measure, many children also need access to affordable and healthy food.In Connecticut, there is a notorious lack of Full-service grocery store in underserved areas like Hartford. Finding affordable healthy food options is indeed challenging for poor households, which in turn contributes to health inequalities.These health disparities are seen closer to home, as those living in Hartford’s North End have lower life expectancy than those living in West Hartford 16 to 20 years old.
Individuals and Families Involved Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program It doesn’t necessarily have an advantage either. These food stamp programs are designed to increase access to food, but they are not the only solution. Price increase in some stores Force customers to pay prices they cannot afford at the beginning of the month, leaving them with limited funds at the end of the month.Lack of nutritional options is one Risk Factors for Developing Type 2 Diabetes.Kids eat what their parents give them, and if parents have no choice but to provide cheap processed food, then that’s what kids have to eat.
During school hours, children can have access to healthy food in the following ways Connecticut National School Breakfast and Lunch Program, which provides free and reduced-price lunches to children in need. However, because the program requires parents to submit an application for admission, some families may be reluctant to seek help and may not even be aware that the programs exist. If families struggle to provide healthy options at home, and children cannot eat at school, they are left with unhealthy meals that are cheap and affordable. For this reason, more needs to be done to ensure that children have access to affordable and nutritious food options at home and at school.
For individuals living in food deserts without easy access to full-service grocery stores, corner stores need to provide easier access to healthy options. Initiatives in some areas of Connecticut show that Corner stores can receive coordinated community support to improve the products they offer, Serving fresh food at reasonable prices that low-income families can afford. By reducing existing barriers such as cost and lack of transportation, more people may tend to develop healthy eating habits. To address childhood-onset type 2 diabetes, families need community resources to maintain healthy lifestyles. If the corner store replaced unhealthy snacks with affordable, nutritious options, the number of people who could provide healthy meals for their families would increase dramatically.
We must fight for affordable and nutritious food choices for children who do not have the means or choices to have future health outcomes.
Mollie McManus is a junior at Sacred Heart University, majoring in health sciences with a public health major and planning to become a physician assistant.
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