Juvenile diabetes on rise; expert says West Tenn. is ‘epicenter’

JACKSON, Tenn. — A rise in juvenile diabetes is affecting children all over the world and also right here in West Tennessee.

According to the American Diabetes Association, one in every three children born after 2000 in the United States will be directly affected by diabetes. Some children may have the disease and not even know it.

“There is an increase in diabetes overall that mainly is coming from the increase incidence in type 2, and a lot of that at this point is attributed to obesity numbers going up,” said Sherry Bennett, a member of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation West Tennessee Chapter.

Doctors say that although there is still no cure for type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes can be prevented by simply changing lifestyle choices.

“Parents should be exercising with the kids,” nurse practitioner at Tennova Primary Care Fred Sesti said. “Get out there with the kids — you can walk for 30 minutes a day, and it makes a tremendous difference in your health.”

Because the number of children with diabetes is growing, some parents don’t recognize if their kids have it. Sesti says frequent visits to the doctor may help parents catch it early.

The rise of juvenile diabetes affects the West Tennessee area more than some may think.

“We are in the epicenter of diabetes here in Jackson, Tennessee,” Sesti said.

Sesti said more access to exercise facilities can prevent kids from getting the disease.

“I can preach about diet and exercise, but maybe if we had better facilities for exercise and more education for the public then we would make a bigger impact,” Sesti said.

Researchers say you can easily find out if you have diabetes by a simple finger prick. The blood glucose test can let you know immediately if you have high blood sugar.