Dec 13, 2019 Prevent Type 2 diabetes? Yes, You Can!

Simple life style changes - and group support - can get prediabetes under control.

nurse discussing ways to prevent Type 2 DiabetesNo one wants to hear a doctor say blood test results indicate prediabetes—a condition in which blood sugar is too high, but not yet high enough to qualify as diabetes. The good news: It’s possible to take control of the situation and delay, or even outright prevent, the development of Type 2 diabetes.

“Just a 5 to 7 percent reduction in body weight has been shown to be effective in cutting the risk of diabetes,” says Dorothy Szast, RDN, CDE, Diabetes Education Coordinator at Clara Maass Medical Center (CMMC). The newly launched Diabetes Prevention Program at CMMC is here to help. The yearlong, science-based program is backed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and is free of charge to eligible patients.

A Proactive Approach

The medical center already operates a successful program to help people manage their diabetes. Now CMMC has created a structured program to help people at risk of crossing the line from prediabetes to Type 2 diabetes.

“The problem has been that prediabetes is not a covered diagnosis under most insurances, especially Medicare,” explains Szast. “But we thought it was important to start a separate prediabetes program, so that we can proactively help lower the risk of people getting diabetes in the future.” A generous grant from the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) has covered costs for the first class of 20 recruits for the program, who began the year- long journey in the summer. Diabetes educators are hopeful that Medicare will cover future participants.

Group Energy

One key component of the program is a group setting for regular meetings, in which participants can share their experiences and results. Participants also support each other via social media.

“A lot of people rely on the motivation of a group setting,” says Szast, who was honored as 201'_ New Jersey Educator of the Year by the AADE. “They feed off each other’s energy and are encouraged when they learn that other people are in the same boat as they are.”

Meetings and activities, which take place in the Continuing Care Building at CMMC, begin with weekly weigh-ins at first, followed by monthly checks.

“But we make it fun, too,” Szast says “For example, when we talk about how to shop in the grocery store, we have a ShopRite dietitian talk about reading labels. When we talk about exercise, we have an exercise physiologist with us. Whatever the topic of the day is, we try to complement it with an expert guest.

“We’re having a great time with the group so far, and seeing results,” Szast says. “The more results our participants see, the more they feel like, 'I can do this!’”

To learn more about the Diabetes Prevention Program at Clara Maass Medical Center, click here.