IL Pathways to Health Classes
Diabetes Prevention Program
The Diabetes Prevention Program helps individuals prevent type 2 diabetes through a CDC-developed curriculum that fosters lasting lifestyle changes. Over one year, participants learn about healthy eating, physical activity, and stress management, all while receiving support from a lifestyle coach and peers.
About the class
Are you looking to avoid type 2 diabetes? The Diabetes Prevention Program is designed for individuals like you who want to make lasting lifestyle changes. Developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this program can cut your risk of developing type 2 diabetes in half! The program helps you make lasting changes, such as eating healthier, adding physical activity into your daily routine, and reducing stress.
Key components include:
- CDC-approved curriculum with lessons, handouts, and other resources to help you make healthy changes.
- A trained lifestyle coach that will help you learn new skills, encourage you to set and meet goals, and keep you motivated.
- Group discussions that are fun and engaging.
- A support group of people with similar goals and challenges. People can share ideas, celebrate successes, and work to overcome obstacles.
Get ready for a transformative year!
- Total Length: One year.
- First 6 Months: Weekly sessions to kickstart your journey.
- Second 6 Months: Transition to once or twice monthly sessions to support your ongoing progress.
Classes are designed to help you learn to:
- Eat healthy without giving up all the foods you love
- Add physical activity to your life, even if you don’t think you have time
- Deal with stress
- Cope with challenges that can derail your hard work
- Get back on track if you stray from your plan
- Enhance the skills you’ve learned so you can maintain the changes you have made
Benefits of the class
Research shows that participants in CDC-recognized lifestyle change programs who lost 5-7% of their body weight and added 150 minutes of exercise per week reduced their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to 58%—and an impressive 71% for those over 60.
Even a decade later, those who completed the program were one-third less likely to develop type 2 diabetes compared to those who didn’t participate.
Benefits of joining:
- Cut your risk of developing type 2 diabetes
- Lower your risk of having a heart attack or stroke
- Improve your health
- Help you feel more energetic
- Reverse prediabetes diagnosis
Who should take the class
To participate, you must meet ALL of the following requirements:
- Be 18 years or older
- Have a BMI of 25 or higher (23 or higher if you are Asian American)
- Not be previously diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes
- Not be pregnant
Additionally, you need to meet one of the following criteria:
- Have had a blood test result in the prediabetes range within the past year:
- Hemoglobin A1C: 5.7–6.4%.
- Fasting plasma glucose: 110–125 mg/dL.
- 2-hour plasma glucose (after a 75 g glucose load): 140–199 mg/dL.
- Have been previously diagnosed with gestational diabetes
- Received a high-risk result (score of 5 or higher) on the Prediabetes Risk Test
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