As you finish off the remnants of Halloween candy (or maybe your siblings’), calories and long-term health consequences might not be on your mind. But as November finishes and we mark Diabetes Awareness Month, a more troubling trend is becoming impossible to ignore: diabetes is on the rise in the United States — and children are being hit especially hard. 

Over the past several decades, diabetes rates in the U.S. have climbed dramatically. Once considered a disease of older adults, type 2 diabetes now shows up in teens and even children. Data from long-term studies suggest that adult diabetes prevalence rose from roughly 9.8% in the early 1990s to between 12% and 14% by the early 2010s. Even more concerning: new cases of type 2 diabetes in youth increased by over 30% between 2001 and 2009 — an alarming jump for a condition once thought almost unheard of in young people. 

So, what’s behind this surge? 

A major culprit, many experts argue, is processed foods. Nurse Hayes, drawing on her hospital experience, notes, “childhood obesity and everything has been more common, like kids and teens getting diagnosed with type 2 especially.” These processed foods — sugary, highly refined, artificial — are not harmless. In The Hidden Risks of Processed Foods in Children’s Diets, Linda Ha explains that these foods don’t just harm children physically by increasing the risk of diabetes: they can also stunt emotional and behavioral development, contributing to symptoms like temper tantrums and even ADHD. 

So why would mothers feed their children this? For many families, it’s not a choice. Access to fresh, healthy food is limited: in some neighborhoods, the nearest grocery store is a liquor store or corner shop, with little to no fresh produce. Even when supermarkets are nearby, the cost of vegetables can be prohibitively high. For families balancing tight budgets, fast food can seem like the only affordable—and fast—option. 

This is where politics comes sharply into focus. Government policies and economic systems influence which foods are accessible, and their prices. Recently, for instance, the U.S. imposed sweeping tariffs on imports — including food inputs and packaging materials. These tariffs are already being passed down the supply chain. Experts warn that these trade policies may further increase food prices, especially for key items like produce, nuts, cheese, and seafood.

Walmart has warned that tariffs are “too high” to absorb, and price increases are likely in many grocery categories. According to an analysis by Yale’s Budget Lab, the burden falls most heavily on lower-income households, for whom food spending is a larger share of the budget. While some recent tariff rollbacks are being negotiated — including relief on hundreds of food items like beef and coffee — the long-term effects on food affordability remain uncertain. 

Dr. Swanchara (Head of the HAMSci program at Briar Woods) points out a different factor in the diabetes rise: better early detection. “One of the things is better early prevention healthcare,” she says, meaning more people are being diagnosed earlier, including those who are pre-diabetic. That doesn’t erase the fact that more kids are developing diabetes, but it does change how we interpret the trend. 

And the stakes are profound. When diabetes begins early, the disease’s complications can arrive sooner and hit harder. For example, children with type 2 diabetes face nearly double the risk of developing diabetic retinopathy, a serious eye condition and are four times more likely to require major eye surgery within 15 years of diagnosis, compared to children with type 1 diabetes. The long-term toll is far greater than many may realize. 

The rising rate of type 2 diabetes in America’s youth is more than a health issue — it’s a symptom of deeper problems. Processed-food, food deserts, and economic inequality all play a role. But as tariffs push food prices higher, these systemic problems risk growing worse. Political decisions shape not just the economy, but the health of our next generation. 

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Diabetes incidence and historical trends. (n.d.). Diabetes and the Environment. https://www.diabetesandenvironment.org/home/diabetes-incidence-and-historical-trends

Diabetes prevention: 5 tips for taking control. (2025, March 12). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-2-diabetes/in-depth/diabetes-prevention/art-20047639

Dore, K. E. (n.d.). Trump’s tariffs could soon bring higher food prices for some Americans, analysis finds. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/29/trump-tariffs-food-prices.html

The hidden risks of processed foods in children’s diets. (2025, March 18). Latest News | News. https://news.llu.edu/health-wellness/hidden-risks-processed-foods-childrens-diets