YMCA of Silicon Valley
recently announced that it received a grant from the YMCA of the USA (Y-USA) as part of the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention’s National Diabetes Prevention Program, to help expand
the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program and help reduce the burden of chronic disease in communities across the nation.
YMCA of Silicon Valley will launch the program and offer
classes to community members in its YMCA facilities spanning from Morgan Hill to Redwood City beginning in July. For locations log onto the Y information page.
“Providing
support and opportunities that empower people to be healthy and live
well is part of the YMCA’s charitable purpose,” said John Remy, vice
president of Operations and Healthy Living. “We
welcome the chance to work with CDC to bring an effective program to
prevent type 2 diabetes to Silicon Valley and help individuals in this
community make lasting changes to protect their health.”
CDC
leads the National Diabetes Prevention Program, which offers
communities an evidence-based lifestyle change program to prevent type 2
diabetes. The program is geared to those at high risk of type 2
diabetes. People have a higher chance of developing type 2 diabetes if
they are overweight, age 45 years or older, have a family history of the
disease, get little physical activity, developed gestational diabetes
while pregnant, or are members of certain racial/ethnic groups,
including African Americans, Hispanic/Latinos, Native Americans, Asian
Americans, and Pacific Islanders.
The
program is based on a research study led by the National Institutes of
Health and supported by CDC, which showed that people with prediabetes
could reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes by making modest lifestyle
changes that resulted in a 5 to 7 percent weight loss (about 10-14
pounds for a 200-pound person). CDC estimates that national
implementation of the prevention program could save $5.7 billion in
health care costs and prevent 885,000 cases of type 2 diabetes in the
next 25 years.
Researchers
at Indiana University School of Medicine were able to replicate the
successful results of the national DPP research study with the YMCA of
Greater Indianapolis. Unlike the national DPP research study, which was
conducted with individuals one-on-one, the YMCA’s program is conducted
in a group setting.
The
research by the Indiana University researchers also demonstrated that
the YMCA could effectively deliver a group-based lifestyle intervention
for about 75 percent less than the cost of the original Diabetes
Prevention Program. This research also highlighted the ability of the Y
to take the program to scale nationally.
“We
now have proof that lifestyle interventions delivered through
community-based organizations such as the Y can save lives and health
care dollars,” said Remy.
The
program provides a supportive environment where participants work
together in a small group to learn about healthier eating, and
increasing their physical activity in order to reduce their risk for
developing diabetes. The evidence-based program is delivered over a
12-month period, with 16 weekly core sessions then monthly maintenance.
It is classroom based and can be offered in any community setting.
“The
partnership between the YMCA and the CDC stands to reduce the burden of
diabetes, one of the nation’s costliest diseases, in Silicon Valley and
across the nation,” said Remy. “With CDCs recent prediction of an
increase in diabetes rates, it’s of the utmost importance that we do all
we can to help the 79 million people in the United States who have
prediabetes prevent the onset of the disease to live healthy, happy and
more productive lives.”
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