We're constantly bombarded with statistics on today's children being fatter and unhealthier than any previous generation. This often leads to problems in adulthood, including diabetes. The best time to start healthy habits is: as soon as possible.

In a study released this week, researchers have found that one in 523 Americans under age 20 has diabetes, the kind that never used to kick in until a patient was over 40. The findings, just published in the journal Pediatrics, now place diabetes alongside cancer and asthma as the most common chronic illnesses of childhood.

Of course, the difference between diabetes and those other two diagnoses is that parents may have the power to prevent it from happening in the first place.

"This is an opportunity for everyone to step back and take a deep breath and say, 'What can we do different?' " says Martha Kubik, assistant professor at the University of Minnesota's School of Nursing. "And we should have started yesterday."

While it's shocking to hear that 8-year-olds are developing Type 2 diabetes, Kubik, who studies the relationship between nutrition and physical fitness in young people, says it's not all that surprising, either.