A recent study by St. Louis University indicates that medication use among children in the United States is increasing drastically. Medications are being prescribed to children in record numbers to treat diabetes, asthma, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Researchers hypothesize that increasing levels of childhood obesity may be catalyzing this trend.

Study co-author Dr. Donna Halloran, assistant professor of pediatrics at St. Louis University, commented on the findings:

"Across all the medication classes we looked at, the rates of use increasedsometimes dramatically. ... This is particularly concerning, given that several of these diagnoses have been linked to obesitydiabetes, hypertension, depression, asthma."

In recent years, the study reports, use of a particular drug to treat type 2 diabetes has increased by 100 percent, while prevalence of the condition itself has increased by over 130 percent among girls ages 10 to 19. (Sources: health.usnews.com)

Labels: medications, obesity

Posted By: Aspen Education Group