It is the position of the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) that the registered professional school nurse (hereinafter referred to as school nurse) is the school staff member who has the knowledge, skills, and statutory authority to fully meet the healthcare needs of students with diabetes in the school setting. Diabetes management in…

In today's technology-driven society, children often sit for hours in front of a screen (e.g., computer, TV, video game), exercising only their fingers as they manipulate the keyboard, remote control, or game controller. This sedentary lifestyle contributes to the growing problem of childhood obesity. Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control…

Students with diabetes deserve a school nurse who can effectively manage the disease. Tensions between the school and families sometimes emerge when a child with diabetes goes to school. To resolve these tensions in Colorado, stakeholders collaborated to implement a statewide program to meet the needs of students with diabetes. Colorado school…

American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) experience some of the greatest health inequities of any group within the United States. AI/ANs are diagnosed with diabetes more than twice as often as non-Hispanic white Americans. Diabetes is a chronic preventable disease often associated with individual risk factors and behaviors that indicate what…

Every child with diabetes deserves a school nurse with the capacity to effectively manage the disease at school. The school nurse needs knowledge and skills to confidently provide care and communicate with health care providers and families. The Healthy Learner Model for Chronic Condition Management provided a framework to eliminate the disjointed…

News reports illustrate controversies between parents and schools in response to student health problems. Today's school nurse is in a pivotal position for the avoidance and resolution of disputes not only by increasing awareness of student health conditions but also by having a working knowledge of legal developments under Section 504 and its…

It is the position of the National Association of School Nurses that the registered professional school nurse (hereinafter referred to as school nurse) is the only school staff member who has the skills, knowledge base, and statutory authority to fully meet the healthcare needs of students with diabetes in the school setting. Diabetes management…

The importance of good nutrition and exercise is well known, and parents have long worried about their children's diets and envied their high energy levels. Like so many life style habits, patterns of nutrition and exercise behaviors are typically established in early childhood. Poor diet and lack of exercise contribute to obesity, which has been…

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) reports that approximately 0.2% of all persons under the age of 20 have been diagnosed with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. This represents 186,300 children and young adults. Type 1 diabetes has traditionally been a disease of children and adolescents. Although type 2 diabetes has in the past…

World Diabetes Day (November 14) offers a wonderful opportunity to educate elementary children about the power they have to control their health. First lady Michelle Obama has urged Americans to educate themselves about childhood obesity, which is often associated with the onset of type II diabetes (Rabin 2010). The authors developed activities to…

Among children and youth who develop type 2 diabetes (T2DM) there are a number of genetic and environmental factors that lead to a combination of insulin resistance and relative-cell secretory failure of the pancreas. These factors include ethnicity (highest in American Indian youth), obesity, sedentary behavior, family history of T2DM, puberty,…

Childhood obesity is a national public health crisis. The National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP), the National Institutes of Health and Kaiser Permanente have developed community tools and resources for children and families to lower their risk for obesity through healthier, active lifestyles. The authors describe innovative practices and…

America has a serious weight problem. Two-thirds of adults and nearly one-fifth of children in the United States are overweight, placing them at greater risk for heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic diseases including cancer and arthritis. Furthermore, obesity and its related health problems are placing a major strain on the U.S. health care…

Management of diabetes in children requires balancing nutrition, physical activity and medication on a daily basis in order to achieve blood glucose targets. The health educator can assist children and their families in meeting their diabetes management goals by better understanding the current recommendations and tasks involved to achieve them.…

Physical activity is a proven form of diabetes management and is considered a cornerstone in the prevention of diabetes. In children with diabetes, physical activity may improve insulin sensitivity and glucose uptake in skeletal muscle. Aerobic-based physical activity lasting 40-60 minutes daily for a minimum of four months is shown to enhance…