Yesterday the nursing, nutrition, and exercise science departments came together to raise awareness for diabetes, a disease that is growing in frequency, especially among children and young adults.

“It used to be just an adult onset disease, but now we’re seeing Type II diabetes in elementary-aged children” says Emily Rice, a Nutrition major.

“What we wanted to do is bring about awareness, specifically about Type II Diabetes, to the UMass campus,” said Carrie Sharoff, a graduate student in the Nursing program.

The event consisted of various tables in the Campus Center concourse, set up by each department, each with different activities for passers-by to take part in.

The nutrition table had people take quizzes to test their food knowledge, such as how much of different types of food are in a portion and how much sugar is in drinks, such as coke and cranberry juice.

At the exercise science table students could test their physical fitness level with a step test and determine their risk level for contracting diabetes. There were also numerous pamphlets on different sports in hopes of making an active lifestyle more appealing to people.

Lauren Kelly, one of the students who tried the step test, said she thought the event was a good idea.

“It gets students aware of what they need to do to remain healthy,” she said.

Jeff Krohn, quarterback for the Massachusetts football team, was present at the event, and signed autographs later in the day to promote physical activity, as well as Saturday’s football game and Senior Day.

The Nursing table had information and statistics about the disease, and even some computers set up to allow people to determine their relative risks for acquiring diabetes.

Among the factors that may increase a person’s chances of getting diabetes are weight, age, ethnicity, and family history. Despite these factors, the disease is avoidable.

“Small changes in lifestyle, [such as] increasing physical activity and decreasing caloric intake, greatly reduce the risk for Type II diabetes,” said Sharoff.

There are two types of diabetes, Type I and Type II. A diagnosis of Type I Diabetes means that the body can no longer produce insulin. It accounts for about five to 10 percent of those with the disease.

Type II Diabetes is characterized by the body’s cells becoming resistant to insulin. It is of much bigger concern, accounting for the remaining 90 to 95 percent of those with diabetes.

One of the fastest growing epidemics, millions of people are diagnosed with Type II Diabetes each year. It is also the fifth deadliest disease in the world and is the leading cause of adult blindness, end-stage kidney disease and many other medical problems.

Type II Diabetes is growing fastest among the 20- to 30-year age group.

“I think its mostly linked to our becoming sedentary and eating fast foods,” said Elizabeth Mitchell, an exercise science major.

Dr. Barry Braun, professor of exercise science and chief organizer of the event, was excited with the turnout at the event, and is envisioning an even bigger event this spring or next year. He even suggested a partnership with Cooley-Dickinson Hospital in Northampton in the future to expand the cause beyond the University campus.

“What’s great is there are undergraduate students from three different departments coming together to put out a cohesive message on an important, timely [subject],” Dr. Braun said, as he visited the different tables and spoke with some of the people who came to the event.

Financial support for the event was received from Kidsports, Stop and Shop, and Atkins Farms.

www.diabetes.org and webmd.com were used for information on diabetes in this article.