1999 to 2018 saw increase in prevalence of prediabetes in teens

Among U.S. youth aged 12 to 19 years, the prevalence of prediabetes increased significantly from 1999 to 2018, according to a research letter published online March 28 in JAMA Pediatrics.

Junting Liu, from the Capital Institute of Pediatrics in Beijing, and colleagues used data from 10 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999-2000 to 2017-2018, combining every two consecutive cycles, to examine trends in prediabetes among U.S. youth aged 12 to 19 years. The analysis included 6,598 individuals (3,412 male).

The researchers observed a significant increase in the prevalence of prediabetes among U.S. youth, from 11.6% in 1999 to 2002 to 28.2% in 2015 to 2018. This trend was seen across population subgroups. Disparities in the prevalence of prediabetes remained stable; in subgroup analyses of sex and body mass index category, these disparities were most pronounced. For example, the prevalence of prediabetes increased from 1999-2002 to 2015-2018 among male and female youth, from 15.8 to 36.4% and from 7.1 to 19.6%, respectively. During the same period, among youth with underweight or normal weight, overweight, and obesity, the prevalence increased from 9.41 to 24.3%, from 15.3 to 27.5%, and from 18.2 to 40.4%, respectively.

"In this survey study, the prevalence of prediabetes increased significantly among U.S. youths from 1999 to 2018," the authors write.