OSWEGO COUNTY – Community members are preventing type 2 diabetes together with the PreventT2 lifestyle change program offered by Oswego Health and the Oswego County Health Department. Guided by trained lifestyle coaches, groups of participants are learning the skills they need to make lasting changes such as losing a modest amount of weight, being more physically active, and managing stress.
People with prediabetes — higher-than-normal blood glucose (sugar) levels — are 5 to 15 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those with normal blood glucose levels.
In fact, many people with prediabetes can be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes within 5 years.
“One in three American adults has prediabetes, so the need for prevention has never been greater,” said Jiancheng Huang, Public Health Director of the Oswego County Health Department. “The PreventT2 program offers a proven approach to preventing or delaying the onset of type 2 diabetes through modest lifestyle changes made with the support of a coach and one’s peers.”
Participants learn how to eat healthy, add physical activity to their routine, manage stress, stay motivated, and solve problems that can get in the way of healthy changes. PreventT2 groups meet for a year — weekly for the first 6 months, then once or twice a month for the second 6 months to maintain healthy lifestyle changes.
The program’s group setting provides a supportive environment with people who are facing similar challenges and trying to make the same changes.
Together participants celebrate their successes and find ways to overcome obstacles.
PreventT2 is part of the National Diabetes Prevention Program, led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The local program meets at the Oswego County Health Department, 70 Bunner St., Oswego, on Wednesdays from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. starting September 18.
There is no charge to participant in this program.
PreventT2 is based on research that showed that people with prediabetes who lost 5 to 7 percent of their body weight (10 to 14 pounds for a 200-pound person) by making modest changes reduced their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58 percent.
Nationwide implementation of the program could greatly reduce future cases of type 2 diabetes, a serious condition that can lead to health problems including heart attack; stroke; blindness; kidney failure; or loss of toes, feet or legs.
“Small changes can add up to a big difference,” Huang said. “Working with a trained lifestyle coach who provides guidance, PreventT2 participants are making lasting changes together.”
People are more likely to have prediabetes and type 2 diabetes if they:
• Are 45 years of age or older;
• Are overweight;
• Have a family history of type 2 diabetes;
• Are physically active fewer than three times per week; or
• Have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes during pregnancy or gave birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds.
To participate in the PreventT2 program, patients must meet the following requirements:
• Be at least 18 years old and
• Be overweight (body mass index ?25) and
• Have no previous diagnosis of type 1 or type 2 diabetes and
• Have a blood test result in the prediabetes range within the past year:
o Hemoglobin A1C: 5.7%–6.4% or
o Fasting plasma glucose: 100–125 mg/dL or
o Two-hour plasma glucose (after a 75 gm glucose load): 140–199 mg/dL or
• Be previously diagnosed with gestational diabetes
*This program is partially funded by the Administration for Community Living through the NYS Office for the Aging and the Oswego County Office for the Aging.
To learn more about the program or to register, call Oswego Health at 315-349-5513 or visit https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/prevention/index.html
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