DANFORTH — East Grand Health Center is currently accepting applicants for a Diabetes Prevention Program course in Danforth that is scheduled to begin in the early spring. The days and times for the course will be announced at a later date.
Sessions will be held in the Community Room, located at 201 Houlton Road at the health care facility. East Grand Health Center’s year-long program, offered free of charge, is part of the National Diabetes Prevention Program, an evidence-based lifestyle change program for preventing type 2 diabetes led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
It features an approach proven to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes that helps participants make real lifestyle changes such as eating healthier, incorporating physical activity into their daily lives, and improving problem-solving and coping skills. Participants meet with a trained lifestyle coach and a small group of people who are making lifestyle changes to prevent diabetes. Classes meet weekly for at least 16 weeks, transitioning to once monthly for the remainder of the year.
According to the CDC, you may have prediabetes and be at risk for Type 2 diabetes if you:
– are 45 years of age or older
– are overweight
– have a family history of type 2 diabetes
– are physically active fewer than 3 times per week
– had diabetes while pregnant which disappeared after delivering the baby (gestational diabetes)
– gave birth to a baby that weighed more than 9 pounds
If you think you may be at risk for prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes, take the “Could You Have Prediabetes?” online quiz at http://www.cdc.gov/Diabetes/Prevention. If your score shows you are at high risk for diabetes, talk to your health care provider or contact our program.
Research shows that participants in the National Diabetes Prevention Program lifestyle change intervention reduced the incidence of diabetes by 58 percent among adults with prediabetes and by 71 percent in those aged 60 years or older.
For more information about East Grand Health Center’s Diabetes Prevention Program or to enroll in the upcoming Danforth class, please contact Addie Carter at 448-2347 or addie.carter@eastgrand.org. This National Diabetes Prevention Program is provided with support from Healthy Acadia and a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration.
