HealthInfo Canterbury

Diabetes in children & teens

Type 1 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes in children and teens. This is when your body doesn't make enough of a hormone called insulin.

However, the number of children and teens with type 2 diabetes is rising. This is because more children and teens are obese (very overweight). Being overweight increases your risk of type 2 diabetes, which happens when your body makes insulin but it doesn't work very well.

  HealthInfo recommends the following pages

• Diabetes Youth Canterbury

  Peer support for the parents of Canterbury children with type 1 diabetes.

  • On Facebook

    Keep in contact with other children and teen who have diabetes

• Diabetes Youth New Zealand

  Support for children with diabetes and their families.

• Diabetes New Zealand

  Representation and support for people affected by diabetes.

• Kidshealth – Diabetes

  Information about diabetes in children.

• Youthhealthtalk.org – Diabetes type 1

  Information about type 1 diabetes in young people, along with a number of video interviews with young people who have type 1 diabetes.

Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed May 2016.

Sources

Page reference: 64257

Review key: HIDIC-13572