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South Jordan Journal

Utahns can participate for first time in National Diabetes Prevention Program

Sep 09, 2015 05:02PM ● By Rhett Wilkinson

Salt Lake County Health Department Health Educator Julia Glade said that Utahns spent $1.7 billion on diabetes in 2012. Utahns can participate for the first time in the National Diabetes Prevention Program. Photo courtesy Julia Glade

By Rhett Wilkinson

The first opportunity has arrived for Utahns to participate in the National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP), the Salt Lake County Health Department (SLCoHD) announced.

Participants are invited to participate in a year-long program that has proven to successfully prevent or delay onset of type 2-diabetes in its participants. They meet with a trained lifestyle coach and a small group of people who are also making lifestyle changes to prevent diabetes. Sessions are weekly for six months and then monthly for the same length of time. On average, program participants cut their risk of developing type-2 diabetes by 58 percent, according to a press release.

The program’s total cost is $250 per person, and scholarships are available to lower-income participants.

“Utahns spent $1.7 billion on diabetes in 2012,” SLCHD Health Educator Julia Glade said. “This is a great deal for people with a family history or who are otherwise at risk of developing diabetes, or for anyone who wants consistent professional guidance and peer support in making healthier choices."

Thirty three percent of Utahns are pre-diabetic and 90 percent don’t know they are, according to a press release.

The NDPP was created by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. People who participated in the program during its research phase say the NDPP has made a lasting impact.

“Before the program, I was just doing random hit or miss things to be healthy that day,” Registered Nurse Lauren Clark said in a press release. “This program is the first time I've sustained interest in my health and wellness goals for more than a week at a time and it’s given me a better chance for success."

Folks are encouraged to send family members at risk for diabetes to the classes. Changes to family life include problem-solving and coping skills. Someone who gains appropriate support and make lifestyle changes for a year, including daily physical activity, means that they can lose 5 to 7 percent of their body fat in that time, Glade said.

Indications of type-2 diabetes includes persons who are 45 years of age or older; are overweight; have a family history of type-2 diabetes; have high blood pressure; are physically active fewer than three times per week; or have ever had diabetes while pregnant or gave birth to a baby that weighed more than 9 pounds.

Salt Lake County sessions have begun at seven locations around the valley:

         Millcreek Community Center

2266 East Evergreen Avenue

         Health Professions Education Building

 520 Wakara Way

         Health Care Business Building

127 South 500 East, Suite 660

         University of Utah Annex

1901 East South Campus Dr.

         River’s Bend Community Center

1300 West 300 North

         Redwood Health Center

1525 West 2100 South

         South Jordan Health Center

5126 West Daybreak Parkway

To register for the program, call 1-888-222-2542, or email [email protected] for more information.