Prevalence of impaired glucose regulation in German school-leaving students

The increase in prevalence of obesity in childhood and adolescence appears to be followed by a rise of type 2 diabetes (T2D) cases in youth. Studies from the United States indicated that more than 1 in 10 adolescents may have disturbed glucose metabolism and that ethnicity and socioeconomic status are major determinants of (pre) diabetes prevalence. Since data for European countries are rare, we conducted a cross-sectional survey in 721 school-leaving boys and girls (mean age 15.5 years) in Düsseldorf (Germany). In our population from a predominantly low socioeconomic background, a total of 2.5% had impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance or T2D. Hence, our study does not confirm the alarming data from high-risk US. American populations, but, nevertheless provides evidence for the necessity of public health interventions aiming at primary prevention of obesity and T2D in children and adolescents.