The YMCA is beginning a Diabetes Prevention Program, a group-based lifestyle intervention for adults at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes, said Anna McKain, diabetes prevention coordinator. She said the program has shown to reduce the number of new cases of diabetes by 58 percent overall and by 71 percent in adults over 60.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that in 2010 one in 10 U.S. adults had diabetes and, if trends continue, as many as one in three U.S adults could have diabetes by the year 2050. There are 86 million people in the U.S. who have pre-diabetes and only 10 percent of them are aware of the condition.
“This is staggering,” said Woody Fitton, president and CEO of Great Miami Valley YMCA. “Knowing your risk for pre-diabetes is the key to taking control and reducing these statistics.”
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He said the program, nationally supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is sponsored locally by Mercy Health Fairfield.
Tom Urban, Mercy Health North Market president and CEO, said the hospital joined the YMCA because it knows the program “will change lives for the better and help people be well.”
There are two upcoming sessions planned: Feb. 13 and March 14.
McKain said the year-long program is delivered in 25 sessions and costs $429. There are scholarship opportunities and payment plans are available. The registration fee also includes membership to the YMCA, based on attendance and participation.
A trained Lifestyle Coach helps participants learn skills that will help them incorporate healthy eating, increasing physical activity, and other behavior changes into their everyday lives, according to McKain.
“Tiny changes affect your lifestyles,” McKain said.
She said people sometimes gain weight, thus increase their possibilities of being diabetics, because they make poor food choices. She said the foods that are the most affordable sometimes are the unhealthiest.
To be eligible for this program, participants must be at least 18 years old with a BMI of 25 or greater and at risk for developing type 2 diabetes or have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes. Youth under 18 and persons diagnosed with diabetes do not qualify. A Y membership is not required for participation.
Tammy Dellaposta, a registered nurse and certified diabetes educator at Atrium Medical Center, said anyone 45 and older, someone with a sedentary lifestyle or a family history, should be screened for diabetes. If someone is determined to be at risk, they are given an exercise and diet plan to reduce their chances of becoming a type 2 diabetic, she said.
The hospital’s Diabetes Wellness Center is located at 4218 Grand Ave., and provides experts and dietitians, Dellaposta said.
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LEARN MORE
For more information about the Great Miami Valley YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program:
Email Anna McKain at ydpp@gmvymca.org
Call 513-887-0001.
Visit www.gmvymca.org/diabetes
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