From 2002 to 2005, the number of children on medications for such chronic illnesses as diabetes and high blood pressure rose dramatically.

Many doctors see it as a sign that American's childhood obesity epidemic is going strong.

The rates of children medicated for type II diabetes, the type most closely associated with obesity, increased 103 percent, according to the October issue of Pediatrics. The number of children treated for high cholesterol increased 15 percent. Rates also increased for asthma and attention deficit disorder, conditions not linked to obesity.

The increases aren't particularly surprising for Rapid City physicians who have seen the phenomenon in their own patients.

In his 34 years as a pediatric cardiologist, Dr. John Spangler has seen a growing number of children with conditions once considered to be adult diseases. Often, he said, the ailments are the result of excessive weight and a sedentary lifestyle.

"I will tell you that we see more obese children. In fact, this next generation is bigger all the way around. Taller and heavier," said Spangler, a physician with Black Hills Pediatrics & Neonatology.

Currently in South Dakota, 32.9 percent of children are considered obese or overweight, according to the South Dakota Department of Health.

Dr. Amanda Diehl, a pediatrician with Community Health Center of the Black Hills, attributes the increase in medication use to several factors, including better medications designed specifically for children. "Chronic disease is going up partly because people survive it," she said. Improvements in asthma medications, for instance, have improved the longevity of young children with the disease.

The rise in medication for high blood pressure, cholesterol and type II diabetes, however, tends to have more to do with lifestyle and weight, she said.

"We are seeing more obese children," Diehl said. "We need more education for families. We're coming into the second generation of people raised on junk food."

When it comes to medications for chronic illnesses, Diehl is concerned about children taking them for potentially a lifetime, especially since lifetime use isn't well studied. "I don't think people understand forever," she said. "We've gotten to a critical point."

Spangler agrees. "We don't know what the future brings," he said.

That's why Spangler and Diehl recommend lifestyle changes and weight loss as a first resort to their young patients.

Spangler starts with carbohydrate consumption, something he sees as a major factor in obesity rates. "We'd be better off to be on a low-carb diet," he said. "If we just cut those out of our diet, we'd probably all be healthier."

Both physicians also have definitive ideas about a sedentary lifestyle. "Everybody ought to shut off the TV, throw away the Play Station," Spangler said.

Diehl would like to see families as a whole become more active. Studies show that television watching decreases intelligence in children and increases their odds of being overweight, she said. That alone should inspire parents get moving with their kids.

"Children practice what their parents practice," she said. "One person can make the difference in the family."

Contact lynn.taylorrick@rapidcityjournal.com or 394-8414.

More medication

More kids are taking medications for chronic illnesses such as diabetes and high cholesterol, according to a recent study in Pediatrics. The study found that the largest increase in medications for diabetes, attention deficit disorder and depression occurred in girls. Here is a look at the increases from the year 2002 to 2005.

Disease Increase

Diabetes 103 percent

High cholesterol 15 percent

Asthma 47 percent

Attention deficit/Hyperactivity 41 percent

Source: Pediatrics/USA Today