Diabetes Prevention Program-Prevent T2

In the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program, a trained Lifestyle Coach will introduce topics in a supportive, small group environment and encourage participants as they explore how healthy eating, physical activity and behavior changes can help reduce their risk for diabetes and benefit their overall health.

The Diabetes Prevention Program is a recognized program by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is funded by a grant through the YMCA of the USA.

How it Works

The 12-month, 26-session, group-based program consists of one-hour, weekly sessions, followed by monthly sessions led by a trained Lifestyle Coach who facilitates a small group of people with similar goals.

Participants explore how healthy eating, physical activity and behavior changes can help reduce the risk for developing diabetes. The monthly maintenance sessions help participants stay motivated to maintain progress toward their goals.

Program Goals

Lose 7% of your body weight, and gradually increase your physical activity to 150 minutes per week.

You will do this by learning strategies for:

• Healthy Eating: Eating smaller portions, reducing fat in your diet and discovering healthier food options has been shown to help prevent the onset of Type 2 diabetes.
• Increasing Physical Activity: Studies have repeatedly shown that moderate physical activity (walking, swimming, mowing the lawn) for as little as 30 minutes a day, five days a week can help improve your blood pressure, raise your good cholesterol and prevent blood flow problems.
• Losing Weight: It has been shown that reducing your body weight by even a small amount (as little as 5 – 7 percent) can offer tremendous benefits for people at risk for diabetes.

Based on research funded by the National Institutes of Health, this program has been shown to reduce the number of new cases of Type 2 diabetes by as much as 58 percent in adults. The reduction was even greater, 71 percent, among adults aged 60 years or older.

Nearly 86 million American adults, that’s one in three, have prediabetes. People with prediabetes are likely to develop Type 2 diabetes within 10 years, unless they take action to prevent or delay the disease. Diabetes is a leading cause of heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney disease and nerve disease.

Qualifications

To qualify for the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program, participants must be at least 18 years old, overweight (BMI>25, Asian adults, BMI>22) and at high risk for developing Type 2 Diabetes or have been diagnosed with prediabetes.

Anyone interested in participating in this program MUST attend one of the upcoming pre-screenings prior to the start of the year-long program on August 31, 2023.

Those already diagnosed with Diabetes do NOT qualify for the Diabetes Prevention Program, as this is a prevention program.

No YMCA membership required! Open to members and non-members!

Pre-Screening Dates

(Must attend one)

• Coming soon November & December 2024

All pre-screenings are held at the Blossman location at 1810 Government Street, Ocean Springs, MS 39564 in the Multi-Purpose Room (MPR).  Please bring any past blood work data to the pre-screening to help make your qualification process much easier! Printed blood work results or mobile medical portal blood work stats (from an app or website) will suffice.

Questions?

All If you have any additional questions, feel free to contact the Health & Wellness Director, Terrie Alby at talby@mgcymca.org for more information.