Survey of childhood diabetes and impact of school level educational interventions in rural schools in Karimnagar district

CONTEXT: 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. AIMS: 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. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A combined cross-sectional descriptive and interventional design among urban and rural school children was conducted. MATERIALS AND 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. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Proportions; χ(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.