U.S. kids taking more medicine

ST. LOUIS, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- The number of U.S. children taking drugs for type 2 diabetes more than doubled between 2002 and 2005, a study released Monday revealed.

The report by researchers from the Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Express Scripts and the Kansas Health Institute suggests obesity is the reason for the 166 percent spike in diabetes prescriptions.

The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, also found increased medication use for blood pressure, cholesterol, attention-deficit disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, asthma and depression.

"Our study findings indicate that these increased levels of chronic medication use are symptoms of broader underlying issues affecting children today," author Emily R. Cox, senior director of research at Express Scripts, said in a statement. "These trends are worrisome given that many of these therapies are treating conditions with modifiable risk factors and if not addressed, many of these children will carry these chronic conditions into adulthood."