Unlike type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes can sometimes be prevented. Excessive weight gain, obesity, and a sedentary lifestyle are all factors that put a person at risk for type 2 diabetes.
In the past, type 2 diabetes almost exclusively affected adults, usually those who were overweight. Doctors even referred to type 2 diabetes as adult-onset diabetes. But now, more children and teens are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, which experts say is related to the rapidly increasing number of overweight kids.
Although kids and teens may be able to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes by managing their weight and increasing physical activity, other risk factors for type 2 diabetes can't be changed. Kids with one or more family members with type 2 diabetes have an increased risk of developing the disease. Also, certain ethnic and racial groups tend to be more prone to developing it, including those of Native American, African American, Hispanic/Latino, or Asian/Pacific Island descent