Incidência de Diabetes mellitus na adolescência: Investigação e Conscientização em adolescentes da “Escola Técnica Estadual Albert Einstein”

Resumo (EN)

Diabetes mellitus is an ordinary disease with a growing incidence worldwide. In Brazil, the number is 16,8 million people in 2021. From total number of Brazilians with diabetes mellitus, one million are children. For the future, it is estimated that 7,8 cases in 100,000 will be under 20 years old people. Therefore, we understand the importance of pay attention to younger population, especially those who are in school ages. The aims of this study was to investigate the risk scenario for Type 2 Diabetes, in addition to informing and raising awareness about this subject among high school students at Albert Einstein State Technical School, aiming knowledge and preventive actions of the several complications of Diabetes mellitus and their related diseases. Furthermore, to understand whether the academic performance of these students is correlated with health parameters associated with Diabetes. For this purpose, at the Escola Técnica Estadual Albert Einstein, 2 questionnaires were administered in order to investigate the scenario and potential risk of Diabetes in the school community and the students' knowledge about the topic, respectively. An event was also held to investigate fasting blood glucose, weight, height, and blood pressure of volunteer students from the High School course with Biological, Agricultural and Health Sciences Training Itinerary, High School with Training Itinerary of Natural Sciences and its Technologies and High School with Qualification in Visual Communication. After the measurements, it was offered a snack for the breakfast to the students and then, they attended two instructive lectures about nutrition and physical exercises associated with health life style and diabetes preventing. The study involved a total of 106 volunteer students, aged between 14 and 19 years old, 72% female. The obtained data were alarming and demonstrated that 21% of the teenagers had blood glucose levels in the range of 100 to 125 mg/dl, considered pre-diabetes, according to the Guidelines of the Brazilian Diabetes Society. 3% showed blood pressure in the range of 140-159/90-99 stage 1 hypertension and had a BMI in the overweight range, in 10%, and in the overweight risk range, in 12%. Furthermore, the answers of questionnaire I revealed 28% of students at a slightly elevated risk for developing DM 2, while questionnaire II showed a high rate of errors in the answers of questions related to the cause of hypoglycemia (62%); permitted foods (45%) and decision-making in the presence of changes in blood glucose (67%). There was also, a positive correlation between high glucose levels and lower academic performance (p<0,0280). The results reinforce the importance for constant educational actions in the school community aiming to reduce and/or raise awareness of Diabetes mellitus and their related diseases and also to educate about healthy habits necessary to prevent DM 2. Furthermore, the correlation of the risk for DM2 and the higher glycemic rate with the worst academic performance reveals the further studies and more attention about at the teaching- learning process of students with diabetes or altered health parameters.