A dietician, Pearl Salormey, has raised concern over the growing incidence of Type 2 diabetes among children, warning that a condition once largely associated with adults is increasingly being diagnosed in youngsters, particularly those who are obese.

She has, therefore, called for stricter regulation of children's diets by the government, schools, and parents to help reverse the trend.

In an interview with The Mirror in Accra last Tuesday, Ms Salormey noted that while Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition largely linked to genetics, Type 2 diabetes is primarily driven by lifestyle factors.

Ms Salormey, who is the Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (GAND), attributed the trend to the changing food environment in which many children consume unhealthy meals and sugary drinks instead of balanced, home-cooked meals.

"Before, we didn't have many of these cases among children, but gradually we are seeing more of that in children as young as 11 years old, and it is a concern," she said.

Unhealthy food environment

Ms Salormey attributed the growing incidence of childhood obesity and Type 2 diabetes partly to Ghana's increasingly unhealthy food environment, where energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods and sugary beverages have become more accessible and appealing to children than wholesome home-cooked meals.

She explained that the excessive consumption of fast foods, sugary drinks, and highly processed snacks was fuelling the rise in obesity among children, significantly increasing their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and other non-communicable diseases.

While acknowledging that genetics may contribute to obesity in some cases, she stressed that lifestyle and environmental factors remained the major drivers of the condition.

"The environment creates the opportunity for some of these things to happen," she said, adding that children were often exposed to unhealthy food choices both at school and in their communities.

Call for healthier schools

Ms Salormey called for stronger government policies to improve the school food environment by regulating the sale and marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages on school premises.

She urged school authorities to adopt nutrition-friendly policies that prioritise healthy meals and snacks while limiting children's access to sugar-sweetened drinks and highly processed foods.

"Strict rules should be made in schools to help make the school food environment much healthier for children and prevent some of these things from happening," she said.

She also encouraged parents to reinforce healthy eating habits at home by preparing balanced meals, reducing children's consumption of junk food, and ensuring they engaged in regular physical activity.

Beyond schools and homes, Ms Salormey called for sustained public education and media advocacy to keep Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), including diabetes, high on the national agenda. 

According to her, continuous awareness campaigns could influence public policy, promote healthier lifestyles, and encourage people to seek early screening.

She warned that many people were unknowingly living with diabetes until they developed life-threatening complications.

"There are people who are walking around, and they don't even know they have these conditions until one day they get a heart attack or a stroke before they realise it," she said.

Healthy food choices

Ms Salormey encouraged parents and caregivers to make nutritious, balanced meals the foundation of children's diets by incorporating more fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains and lean sources of protein into their daily meals.

She recommended fresh fruits such as oranges, bananas, apples, pawpaw and watermelon as healthier alternatives to sugary snacks, biscuits, and confectionery.

She also advised families to include vegetables such as kontomire, cabbage, carrots, garden eggs, and okro, noting that they provide essential vitamins, minerals, and dietary fibre needed for healthy growth and disease prevention.

She further suggested replacing refined carbohydrates with whole-grain and fibre-rich foods such as brown rice, oats, millet, sorghum, and whole-wheat bread, while encouraging regular consumption of beans, cowpeas, bambara beans, and groundnuts as affordable and nutritious sources of plant-based protein.

The dietitian also advised parents to serve more fish, skinless chicken, eggs, and other lean proteins while limiting processed meats, fried foods, and meals high in saturated fats.

She further encouraged families to replace sugar-sweetened beverages with water, fresh coconut water, or unsweetened natural fruit juices consumed in moderation.

According to Ms Salormey, small but consistent improvements in children's eating habits, combined with regular physical activity, could significantly reduce their risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other diet-related diseases, laying the foundation for healthier lives into adulthood.