Where Children Live May Shape Diabetes Risk, Finds US Study

While genetics, diet, obesity, and physical inactivity are well-established contributors to Type 2 diabetes (T2D) — a condition increasingly being diagnosed among children too — new research from Florida Atlantic University indicates that the environment in which a child grows up may be just as consequential.

The study draws strong associations between the risk of childhood diabetes and neighbourhood-level factors such as walkability, cleanliness, and access to processed foods through assistance programmes. The findings serve as a reminder that a child’s immediate surroundings may exert a profound influence on long-term metabolic health.

The study holds significance given that once regarded as a disease of adulthood, type 2 diabetes is now rising at alarming rates among children and adolescents. Before the mid-1990s, only 1–2% of youth diabetes cases were attributed to T2D. Today, that figure stands between 24% and 45%, with the average age of diagnosis hovering around 13.

The large-scale study, published in Pediatric Research, analysed data from over 1.74 lakh children across the United States, including nearly 50,000 under the age of five — a demographic rarely examined in diabetes research. Drawing on the National Survey of Children’s Health (2016–2020), researchers examined not only diet and activity levels but also broader social and environmental determinants such as caregiver health, food security, and participation in government assistance programmes.

While the overall prevalence of T2D in children under five remained low and stable, the study revealed that disease development was more strongly tied to community-level factors than to individual behaviour alone. Neighbourhood features — from the presence of parks and sidewalks to perceptions of safety — were significantly correlated with diabetes risk.

Interestingly, the presence of a neighbourhood library was associated with higher rates of childhood T2D in both 2016 and 2020. Researchers interpret this as reflecting urban environments that encourage more sedentary, indoor activities rather than active outdoor engagement.

“Neighbourhood design — the availability of green spaces, safe sidewalks, or recreational areas — directly influences children’s opportunities for physical activity and, consequently, their risk of chronic diseases like diabetes,” said Lea Sacca, assistant professor of population health at FAU’s Schmidt College of Medicine and senior author of the study.

Between 2016 and 2020, caregivers increasingly reported issues such as litter and vandalism in their localities — indicators of deteriorating neighbourhood environments. The study also observed that in 2017, access to free or reduced-cost meals correlated with higher diabetes risk, while participation in assistance programmes such as SNAP and free meal schemes rose sharply between 2019 and 2020.

While such programmes aim to alleviate food insecurity, their nutritional quality remains mixed. “Access to food does not necessarily translate into access to healthy food,” Dr. Sacca noted. “Children in food-insecure households often exhibit poorer blood sugar control and higher hospitalisation rates. In some cases, reliance on food assistance programmes may even correlate with worse diet quality than among non-participants from similar income groups.”

The study adds weight to a growing body of evidence suggesting that diabetes prevention must extend beyond individual lifestyle change. Interventions, it argues, should prioritise improving the nutritional quality of available foods, curbing the consumption of sugary beverages, and designing healthier, more active neighbourhoods.

Despite the complex interplay of social and environmental factors, obesity remains the strongest predictor of T2D in children. Overweight children are estimated to be four times more likely to develop the disease by age 25 than their peers of healthy weight.

Alarmingly, nearly 70% of children aged two to five consume sugar-sweetened beverages daily. Though limited measures such as vending machine restrictions and modest beverage taxes have curbed school-time consumption slightly, overall intake remains high. Researchers recommend stronger interventions — including comprehensive school bans and higher taxes on sugary drinks — alongside community-based nutrition programmes.

“The rise of early-onset type 2 diabetes is a growing public health concern,” Dr. Sacca warned. “Addressing it requires a multidimensional strategy — improving access to nutritious foods, reshaping neighbourhood environments, and embedding health promotion into the earliest stages of life.”

The findings echo warnings from the Second Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing, which, drawing on the 2021 Global Burden of Disease study, projected that by 2030 nearly 464 million adolescents worldwide could be overweight or obese. The Commission noted that the easy availability of ultra-processed foods, sugary drinks, and e-cigarettes continues to threaten adolescent wellbeing even as tobacco and alcohol use declines.

Commercial determinants of health, the report warned, remain “a persistent and pervasive threat” to adolescent wellness — a trend mirrored in the FAU study’s conclusions about the influence of food environments on children’s metabolic health.