Children with Diabetes. Diabetes occurs in individuals of any age. More than 13,000 kids in the United States have type 1 diabetes. It is among the most common long term diseases in school age children. Obesity, lack of exercise and unhealthy eating habits are primarily the causes of the condition among children. Type 2 diabetes is not a common occurrence among school kids. In just over 20 years, incident rates among kids and teenagers have almost tripled.