Experts say sedentary lifestyles, food insecurity and other factors are driving the rise in childhood diabetes in Kentucky.
The study found that the number of young people with type 2 diabetes nationwide increased by 77% during the first year of the pandemic compared with the two years prior.
Leslie Scott is an associate professor and pediatric nurse practitioner at the University of Kentucky Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center.
She said diagnoses of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are on the rise among children.
She said the younger a person is at diagnosis, the higher their chances of developing comorbidities such as hypertension, kidney disease and neuropathy in future.
“Some of the symptoms can be very vague and hard to pinpoint,” Scott says, “but if you see your child drinking a lot more fluids than usual, losing weight unexpectedly, or going to the bathroom a lot more, it’s definitely a good idea to get them checked out.”
According to the American Diabetes Association, an estimated 352,000 Americans under the age of 20 have been diagnosed with diabetes.
Diabetes was the eighth leading cause of death in the United States in 2021, with direct medical costs exceeding $300 billion in 2022 alone.
Ben Chandler is CEO of the Kentucky Health Foundation, whose new campaign aims to raise prevention awareness in the community and help families recognize signs of illness in their children.
A more active lifestyle and maintaining a healthy weight can go a long way in reducing the risk, he said.
“We don’t have adequate testing for young people,” Chandler said. “We could do more community events that include free testing. We can do that, schools can do that.”
Scott added that school nurses can play a key role in detecting diabetes early in children and improving their overall health.
“There are guidelines for screening children for risk of type 2 diabetes,” Scott said, “starting at adolescence or age 10. If a child is overweight or obese, you start monitoring some of those risks.”
Living with diabetes can be stressful and isolating for children.
Scott said Camp Hendon, a Louisville-based diabetes summer camp, offers kids who need to regularly test their blood sugar and take insulin a supportive, educational environment as well as a regular summer camp experience.
Disclosure: The Kentucky Health Foundation contributes to a fund for reporting on children’s issues, health issues and smoking prevention. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, please click here.
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Connecticut’s bill could help alleviate the ongoing child care worker shortage
The report said there are about 40,000 child care worker positions open. The average hourly wage for child care workers is just over $15, in line with the national average but may not be enough to cover the state’s high cost of living. House Bill 5002 would create a tripartite child care pilot program in New London.
Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said the program will reduce child care costs.
“This innovative program splits the cost of child care equally between the employee, employer and state, ensuring the burden is shared fairly,” Bysiewicz explained.
The average annual cost of child care for an infant is more than $15,000, dropping to nearly $13,000 for a 4-year-old, according to the Economic Policy Institute. Bysiewicz believes strengthening child care statewide would help alleviate Connecticut’s overall labor shortage, with state reports finding that one in five parents has quit or been laid off from a job because of child care issues.
Senate Bill 249 also aims to alleviate the shortage of child care providers. The bill would remove time limits for the Early Childhood Business Incubator Program and change the number of facilities approved for the program.
Bysiewicz noted that the change will allow more than 20 towns to participate and set up incubators.
“This is a place where women and men who want to start a childcare business can have the opportunity to do so in a common space and get the support they need to do so,” Bysiewicz added.
Part of the industry’s decline is due to the pandemic: Employment in the sector plummeted early in the COVID-19 outbreak but has seen a recovery in some states thanks to funding from the American Rescue Plan.
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New Hampshire ranks first in the nation for the overall well-being of its children, but trauma and pandemic-related learning losses continue to impact students, according to a new report.
In the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s most recent Kids Count Data Book, New Jersey received high marks for health and economic well-being, but more than one in three children in the state have experienced unpleasant things, such as witnessing domestic violence or having a parent in prison.
Even unstable housing situations can show up in students’ academic performance, said Rebecca Wojtkowski, policy director at the nonprofit New Futures.
“There are trends that we need to lead our communities and our legislators to recognize,” Woytkowski asserted, “and continue to redirect resources to ensure New Hampshire’s children have what they need.”
Wojtkowski noted the state has more than $300 million in unspent federal pandemic funding that could be used to expand access to low- or free meals, in-person instruction and mental health services.
New Hampshire’s declining student achievement mirrors a national trend: Enrollment rates for 3- and 4-year-olds are rising, but fourth-graders’ reading proficiency is declining, and 71% of eighth graders are not proficient in math.
Leslie Boissiere, vice president of external relations for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, said chronic absenteeism among students is nearly double what it was before the pandemic.
“They are more likely to get lower test scores, more likely to be suspended, and less likely to finish class on time,” Boissiere reported. “The overall atmosphere in the classroom suffers as teachers are constantly trying to catch up.”
Boissière noted that New Hampshire is seeing fewer high school students graduating on time, which could have an impact on the overall economy. Research suggests that helping young people complete their learning that has been delayed by the pandemic could affect more than $30 trillion in economic activity. Studies have also shown that students who are unable to progress beyond the elementary level of math may be 50% more likely to be unemployed after high school.
Disclosure: The Annie E. Casey Foundation contributes to our fund for reporting on children’s issues, education, juvenile justice and welfare reform. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, please click here.
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Despite some concerning findings about Minnesota’s child welfare, one policy expert says the state is well-poised to make structural improvements to shore up its overall high ranking.
Minnesota ranks fifth in the nation for child welfare, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s latest Kids Count Data Book, released this week, but its education problems, including low test scores, are prominent at both the state and national levels.
Deb Fitzpatrick, director of policy and research at the Children’s Defense Fund, said investments made by Congress last year, such as universal lunches and new funding for early childhood education, have not yet shown up in these metrics.
“And I expect those numbers will begin to reflect the huge investments and incredible focus on making Minnesota the best place for kids,” she explained.
Fitzpatrick acknowledged that some school districts still face significant budget constraints despite the big increase in state funding, but noted that lawmakers provided additional support this session to help implement strategies starting in 2023, including one that mandates “evidence-based” reading instruction to boost literacy scores.
Some housing-related policies have not seen progress this year despite significant investments last year, and Fitzpatrick hopes that, like education, moves in 2023 will help families with children who lack housing stability.
“We know that when kids have to move a lot — you know, when you’re living in a rental property, you often find yourself in a situation where you have to move a lot — and we know that each time one of those moves happens to set kids back,” she continued.
Among the items the Children’s Defense Fund is monitoring are a new statewide rental voucher program and increased support for first-time homebuyers, and Fitzpatrick suggested that all of these overarching issues combine to give kids who have been left behind a level playing field as their futures take shape.
Disclosure: The Minnesota chapter of the Children’s Advocacy Fund contributes to the fund for budget policy and priorities, and reporting on children’s issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, please click here.
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