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Sunday, Sep 14, 2008
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“Children with diabetes lack support at school”

Ramya Kannan

Close relationship between attendance and drop out rates and diabetes: survey

“The risks that children face due to poor support in schools are life-threatening”
Schools must recognise that it is their duty to take over

ROME: Nine out of 10 children with diabetes lack support at school, the results of an international survey conducted in 13 countries during 2007-2008 and launched here recently, have revealed.

Presented on the sidelines of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes conference in Rome, the results of the DAWN Youth Survey focussed specifically on quantifying the challenges faced by children with diabetes. At the Ara Pasci Museum in Italy’s capital city, representatives of Novo Nordisk and the International Society for Paediatric and Adolescent Diabetes drew a portrait of the multitude of challenges that children living with diabetes undergo on a daily basis, especially in schools.

Six out of ten children with diabetes do not manage their diabetes successfully in school according to their physicians, the study outlined. There was also a close relationship between attendance and drop out rates and diabetes. More than half of children under 18 years miss school sometimes because of their condition, according to parents, and two out of three young people with diabetes themselves say they are forced to miss school.

Parents’ worry

The study established that most parents feel that diabetes has an impact on their children’s performance at school. While at school, only one out of 10 young people with diabetes say they can rely on a school nurse to assist them at school if needed. Further, even among healthcare professionals, only half of them admitted to taking the initiative to discuss the issue of diabetes support at school.

The participants of the survey were young people aged between 18 to 25 years, parents or caregivers of a child with diabetes aged 0-18 years and healthcare professionals. A total of 9,200 respondents were interviewed in 13 countries, including India, over the year, according to Lisa Kingo, executive vice president and chief of staff, Novo Nordisk.

Poor support in schools

“The situation for children with diabetes in school today is unacceptable. The risks that children face due to poor support in school environments are serious and life-threatening,” Thomas Danne, general secretary, ISPAD, said. The survey, he added, highlighted the importance of dealing with the problems of diabetes related to children in order to have better control of the condition. If the blood sugar is too low or too high, the child can feel ill, lose concentration or suffer from an insulin shock. In the long run, renal and cardiac complications arise with poor control.

“The conditions for children with diabetes can only be changed when parents, school staff and health care providers work together- each taking their part of the responsibility,” Dr. Danne added. Every school should provide for a child with diabetes, especially since it is easy for easy for teachers to learn about diabetes and give insulin shots.

Another key issue was to create an enabling environment for children with diabetes in schools. “We have to focus on exercise, sports and food too. Emanuela Baio, Italian senator, and member of the Parliamentary Committee for Children, insists on the need for “continuity of care.” While parents take care of the child at home, schools should recognise that it was their duty to take over. For instance, automatic snack vending machines stocking sugared, packaged snacks must be replaced with the option of fruits and vegetables. “We hope, with this, new habits will be created for children.”

Detailed country reports of the study would be made public at a conference in Budapest by the end of the year, Ms.Kingo said. “We are going to bring in politicians and leaders from different countries to the forum in order to orient them on the importance of putting diabetes on the agenda. If we do nothing, in 20 years in America every third child born will be diabetic.”

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