It seems sometimes that the world is kind of teetering on the edge, kind of an unnerving feeling. I thinks for kids this is especially problematic since they have yet to develop coping mechanisms and probably don’t really have a grasp on just how crazy our world has become.

There has been an astonishing increase over the past five years in childhood obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and depression. This increase is noted in the amount of drugs prescribed to children under 19 in these areas of health.

This can point in two directions. Doctors are increasingly seduced by incentives to prescribe new drugs, but I’m thinking that doesn’t explain it when, over a three year period, there was 166% increase in medications for type 2 diabetes prescribed to girls between 10 and 14. During the same period boys 15-19 were prescribed 16% more high blood pressure medication while girls in that age group were prescribed about 2% less. Girls in that age group were prescribed about 7% more depression medication while boys were prescribed less.

Rather than drug pushing, it appears, to me anyway, that the changes in treatment are chasing trends that are a result of an increasingly stressful world and life. Personally I don’t see the world becoming a less stressful place and personally I would always recommend the ultimate stress reliever, prayer. I know a lot of people might take exception to that idea, but it works.

Bottom line. From a life insurance standpoint the early onset of health issues is problematic. The longer a health issue has to wear on your body, the more damage it can do. If parents don’t help children make tough lifestyle decisions, children with diabetes and high blood pressure in their teens will likely end up being 40 and 50 year old adults with some huge mortality issues.