Exercise and nutrition, two essential management techniques for diabetes, can also be used to prevent the disease.

Other ways of averting pediatric diabetes include:

• Prenatal care. Scientists report an increase risk of type 2 diabetes with poor prenatal nutrition, low birth weight (under 5 pounds) and excess birth weight (over 10 pounds). Programs are being developed to teach pregnant women the importance of exercise, diet and infant care, and to control prediabetes and diabetes in pregnant women.
  
  
• Not smoking. The many health dangers of tobacco include increased risk of diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
  
  
• Community involvement. Programs have had success in reducing and controlling diabetes in children by increasing awareness among patients, parents, teachers, healthcare providers, youth groups and community centers. The focus is on education, exercise, development of good eating habits and monitoring of glucose (blood sugar).
  
  
• Increased training of physicians. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has called for improving physicians’ awareness and monitoring of diabetes in children, including the growing incidence of type 2 diabetes.
  
  
• Regular physician visits. Access to insurance and health care is an issue for some families. These factors can delay early diagnosis of diabetes and thus increase risk of complications.