American kids and adolescents are more obese than ever and it’s affecting their immediate and long-term health prospects, researchers say.

Investigators from the Saint Louis University School of Medicine, working in conjunction with Express Scripts and the Kansas Health Institute, report that from 2002 to 2005, tweens and teens ages 10 to 14 more than doubled their use of type 2 diabetes drugs. Other significant increases were seen in the use of drugs for high blood pressure, cholesterol control, ADD and ADHD, asthma and depression. The use of asthma medications, for example, increased 46.5%, and ADD/ADHD medication use increased 40.4%. Cholesterol and blood pressure medications saw a more moderate growth of 15% and 1.8%, respectively. Except for asthma medication, older teens ages 15 to 19 account for the largest percentage of children taking these medications.

"Our study findings indicate that these increased levels of chronic medication use are symptoms of broader underlying issues affecting children today," said Emily R. Cox, PhD, RPh, senior director of research at Express Scripts. "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."

The bad news, according to Donna R. Halloran, MD, MSPH, assistant professor of pediatrics at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, is that there is more disease, due in large part to the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity.

Increased screening rates are also contributing to the increases, the researchers said, but more needs to be done to prevent the development of chronic disease in youth. And that begins with promoting healthy eating at home and at school as well as increased activity.