NOVEMBER IS NATIONAL DIABETES AWARENESS MONTH—ARE YOU AT RISK?

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, and the CENTRAL CONNECTICUT COAST YMCA is helping Connecticut residents cut their risk of developing type 2 diabetes through the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program. Programs like the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program, that help people lose 5-7 percent of body weight through healthier eating and increased physical activity, can prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. 

“The Y’s Diabetes Prevention Program is the first program that I’ve experienced that truly understands those of us who have struggled with these issues – likely for most of our lives -  offering common-sense, achievable goals for making better food choices and adding physical activities to one’s daily lifestyle,” shares Doug Belfiore from Trumbull.  “When I think of the debilitating, life-threatening consequences of not making those healthy choices and being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, the choice is easy for me.”

Prediabetes is a condition in which individuals have blood glucose levels that are higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. An estimated one in three adults in the U.S. (79 million people) has prediabetes, yet just 11 percent of those individuals know they have it. People with prediabetes are at a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes and other chronic diseases such as heart disease and stroke.

The CENTRAL CONNECTICUT COAST YMCA is one of 94 Ys nationwide participating in the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program, a lifestyle modification program that helps people reduce their risk for type 2 diabetes. The program is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Diabetes Prevention Program, and based on the National Institutes of Health led, CDC supported, Diabetes Prevention Program study that showed losing a moderate amount of weight and increasing physical activity reduces the number of new cases of type 2 diabetes by 58 percent. 

“Initiatives like the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program that help residents avoid developing type 2 diabetes and other chronic diseases play a key role in improving the nation’s health,” said Barbara Moore, CCC Y Healthier Communities Director.  “Taking preventive steps helps everyone live better, healthier lives.” 

Participants in the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program take part in a year-long program beginning with 16 one-hour weekly classroom sessions with a trained lifestyle coach who teaches individuals about healthy eating, physical activity and other lifestyle changes. Following these sessions, participants meet monthly for added support in reaching their ultimate goals of reducing body weight by 5-7 percent and participating in 150 minutes of physical activity per week. Through lifestyle changes and modest weight reduction, a person with prediabetes can reduce their risk for type 2 diabetes.

To learn more about the CENTRAL CONNECTICUT COAST YMCA Diabetes Prevention Program, please contact Kelly Vaughan, Program Coordinator E kvaughan@cccymca.org  P 203 375 5844 x 32. 

The YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program is supported nationally by the Diabetes Prevention and Control Alliance and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is available at 94 Ys in 39 states. Visit http://ymca.net/diabetes for more information.

To learn more about the CENTRAL CONNECTICUT COAST YMCA, please call us at 203 777 9622 or visit cccymca.org.