Screening and Diagnosis of Prediabetes and Diabetes in US Children and Adolescents

Abstract

One-quarter of US youth are eligible for screening for diabetes and prediabetes; however, few will test positive, especially for diabetes. Most cases of diabetes in US youth are diagnosed. Regardless of screening eligibility, we found that HbA1c is a specific and useful nonfasting test to identify high-risk youth who could benefit from lifestyle interventions to prevent diabetes and cardiovascular risk in adulthood.