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Type 2 Diabetes Information for 7th Grade Students

Pursuant to California Education Code Section 49452.7, type 2 diabetes information is required for seventh grade students beginning July 1, 2010. The California Department of Education developed this type 2 diabetes information in collaboration with the California Department of Public Health, American Diabetes Association, California School Nurses Organization, and Children’s Hospital of Orange County.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes in adults.


Until a few years ago, type 2 diabetes was rare in children, but it is becoming more common, especially for overweight teens. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in three American children born after 2000 will develop type 2 diabetes in his or her lifetime.

Type 2 diabetes affects the way the body is able to use sugar (glucose) for energy.


• The body turns the carbohydrates in food into glucose, the basic fuel for the body’s cells.
• The pancreas makes insulin, a hormone that moves glucose from the blood to the cells.
• In type 2 diabetes, the body’s cells resist the effects of insulin, and blood glucose levels rise.
• Over time, glucose reaches dangerously high levels in the blood, which is called hyperglycemia.
• Hyperglycemia can lead to health problems like heart disease, blindness, and kidney failure.