Dear Future President,

Diabetes in children has recently become more than just a need, but a problem of the young generations. In the United States, “over 170,000 people under the age 20 have diabetes that is diagnosed. However, almost half of diabetes cases are not diagnosed in general, which proves that the real numbers are significantly higher.” (Children with Diabetes, 2013)

The main cause of this problem is poor diet. Over the last decade there has been an abundant increase in the number of fast food restaurants. For example, on nearly every main street you can find a McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken or Pizza Hut. The food in these places has been proven to be very unhealthy, and much of the advertising is targeted at children. Therefore, ensuring that they make up most of the customers of these establishments.

However, it is not only due to eating out, but also the type of diet many children have at home. A lot of food consumed is processed food, especially considering ready-made meals which are a quick and easy option for parents who need something easy to make for their families. Another thing that contributes to the malnutrition of kids is the food provided by the schools, not all food that is provided by schools are healthy. Many meals that’s provided for students at school contain some type of fatty or sugary substance rather than the nutrients that are needed to live a healthy lifestyle. I believe that all meals that are provided by schools should have a nutrition facts label so that the kid that’s consuming the food can see what ingredients are inside.

World Health Organization (2015) reports that within the Unites States, “the cases of diabetes are not spread equally. Some states tend to have more diabetes in children cases than the others.” According to the information provided by World Health Organization (2015), “over a third of the cases of children diabetes are spread between New Mexico and Texas. Compared to California, New Mexico has over 10% higher cases of diabetes in children than California.”

According to the information provided by the World Health Organization (2015), there are over 350 million people worldwide with diabetes. However, out of these people, the number of children with diabetes is more than half. Additionally, due to the fact that the “majority of children with diabetes have diabetes Type 2, the most likely causes for diabetes are obesity, the absence of physical activity and genetic predisposition” (World Health Organization, 2015). Moreover, out of all diabetes cases which have been diagnosed, Children with Diabetes (2013) reports that “Type 1 diabetes which is caused by insulin production problems is only 5% to 10 % of all diabetes cases, meaning that Type 2 diabetes which is caused by the malnutrition and the lack of physical activity, accounts for the rest of the cases.”

To solve this worldwide epidemic we can build more family gym’s and charge less for them. We could also reduce the amount of Fast Food Chains we have around town. But if we aren’t able to reduce the amount of Fast Food Chains we see we should tax them more. We should have a P.E. class for every class in every school. We should also reinforce the Play 60 rule. Schools need to start providing the students with less fatty and sugary foods. We also must reduce the time that kids spend on their phones, tablets and computers.

To sum up, it is obvious that there are several causes of diabetes amongst children, and a variety of negative effects. Society must ensure steps are taken to prevent this problem from deteriorating further.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Siliezar