Mary Priya A.V.1 , Anand Neelakantan2
BACKGROUND Non communicable diseases such as diabetes mellitus (mainly Type 2) continue to form a significant proportion of disease burden worldwide, be it in terms of morbidity, mortality or socio-economic impact. The problem of Type 2 DM is more severe in developing nations such as India, with a predominantly younger and middle age population structure. Urbanization and globalization have made a telling impact, mainly on the lifestyle practices of urban school going adolescents, thereby rendering them a crucial subset in the epidemiology of Type 2 DM. Selected studies on T2DM amongst adolescent school students in urban settings were compared and summarized through open access internet search. The Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) Search terms thus used were ‘diabetes mellitus, Type 2, adolescent, urban, school going’. These terms were used in different permutations and combinations using AND / OR methodology by Boolean search. Existing hypotheses, theories and models for DM type 2 epidemiology in this setting as per scientific body of evidence were used as baseline templates for this purpose. The results arrived at through this methodology were collated both on qualitative and quantitative levels-terms. This review found that prevalence of T2DM amongst urban school-going adolescents in India is on the rise and knowledge-attitude-practices with respect to the condition per se, its features and preventive modalities, are just adequate. Recommendations: Large scale awareness creation for lifestyle modification on a community level (by harnessing latest technology), coupled with widespread availability of facilities for timely screening, early diagnosis and comprehensive management, will enable stemming the tide.
