There has been a significant increase in the diagnosis rate of diabetes type 2 and other associated conditions in children and adolescents in Western Australia, according to research published in the current issue of The Medical Journal of Australia.

During the 12-year study period there was an average annual increase of 27 per cent in the unadjusted overall rates of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents under the aged of 17.

More than half of the children diagnosed were Indigenous.

Co-author of the study, Dr Elizabeth Davis, endocrinologist at the Princess Margaret Hospital for Children in WA, said the increase in diabetes type 2 is likely to be increasing in parallel with the increase in the prevalence and degree of obesity in children and adolescents.

Dr Davis said almost three quarters of these young patients had abnormally increased thickening and pigmentation of the skin in skinfold regions, which can be associated with obesity and high insulin levels. Fifty-nine per cent had high blood pressure, and 24 per cent had a high cholesterol concentration in the blood.

The study involved all children and adolescents aged less than 17 years who were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes between 1990 and 2002 and managed by Princess Margaret Hospital Diabetes Unit in Perth.

"The increase in type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents has public health implications for Australia," Dr Davus said.

"Population-based strategies to increase activity, decrease sedentary behaviour and improve dietary intake are required to decrease the prevalence of overweight and obesity in our youth.

"Suggested strategies include setting achievable goals, involving whole families, using developmentally appropriate methods, giving education about nutrition, and incorporating increased physical activity during school hours.

"As type 2 diabetes appears more prevalent in the young Indigenous population, particular attention will need to be paid to this condition in preventive healthcare for Australia's Indigenous population," Dr Davis said.

CONTACT:     Dr Elizabeth DAVIS

                   To arrange an interview with Dr Davis please contact:

                   M-J WALLACE, Manager Public Relations, Princess Margaret Hospital, 0416 148 555

                   Judith TOKLEY, AMA Public Affairs, 02 6270 5471 (w) 0408 824 306