Survey of childhood diabetes and impact of school level educational interventions in rural schools in Karimnagar district.
BACKGROUND
Diabetes in children is increasing to epidemic proportions. It is essential to prevent its occurrence by screening for its modifiable risk factors at an earliest time.


OBJECTIVE
1. To screen for childhood diabetes and its modifiable risk factors like obesity, physical inactivity, excessive eating of sweets, carbohydrate foods and chocolate intake and prolonged TV viewing. 2. To bring about reduction in these risk factors by lifestyle modifications through school health teams.


METHODS
A combined cross-sectional descriptive and interventional design among urban and rural school children was conducted.


METHODS
Survey was conducted among 610 school children by 8 resident doctors to know the modifiable risk factors for diabetes. Four educational interventions to reduce and prevent the risk factors were carried out by the school health teams.


METHODS
Proportions; chi(2) test, t-test, cluster sampling.


RESULTS
About 3.5% of children were diabetic. Reductions by 0.33%, 27.5%, 17%, 19% were achieved respectively in obesity, sweets/ chocolates/ carbohydrate rich food consumption, sedentary life and prolonged TV viewing.


CONCLUSIONS
Childhood diabetes burden can be minimized by preventing the development of risk factors like obesity, sedentary life and eating excess of sweets, carbohydrate rich foods and chocolates. School level educational interventions through teacher-parent-child teams will definitely reduce the prevalence of diabetes.
Department of Community Medicine and Epidemiology, Prathima Institute of Medical Sciences, Karimnagar - 505 417, AP, India.
A Avasarala
AA
Kameswararao
Anilkrishna
A
Bachu