Press release:
The YMCA of Western North Carolina is encouraging residents to learn their risks for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. Tuesday, March 28, is American Diabetes Association Alert Day®, and the Y is working to educate the community to take preventive steps to potentially reduce their chances of developing the disease. As the prediabetes rate continues to rise, few local residents know they are at risk.
Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that one in four Americans (86 million people) have prediabetes, up from 79 million in 2010. If the measured national prevalence for prediabetes is applied to the North Carolina population age 20 years and above, then more than 2.5 million North Carolinians may have prediabetes.
However, only about 630,000 North Carolinians (about 9 percent of the population) report having been diagnosed with prediabetes by a health professional. This suggests that almost 1.9 million North Carolinians may have prediabetes but are unaware of their condition.
Prediabetes is a condition in which a person’s blood glucose is elevated, but not high enough for a diabetes diagnosis. Only 10 percent of those with prediabetes know they have it. By becoming aware and taking simple actions, people with prediabetes may prevent the onset of diabetes.
“The number of new people with prediabetes continues to rise and with that, so does the importance of helping individuals understand what a prediabetes diagnosis means,” said Heather Caldwell, senior director of population health at the YMCA of WNC. “Type 2 diabetes affects not just the person, but entire families as well. The good news is that it is possible to reverse course—simple lifestyle changes reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and the Y can help people make the necessary changes to improve health.”
Individuals can assess their risk for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes by taking a simple test at ncymcaalliance.org/ymca-diabetes-prevention-program/. Factors that could put a person at risk for type 2 diabetes include race, age, weight and activity level. If a person is at risk, a diabetes screening conducted by a physician can confirm a diabetes or prediabetes diagnosis.
The YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program is now open for registration at the YMCA of Western North Carolina, with six locations in Buncombe, Henderson and McDowell counties. The program is led by a trained lifestyle coach who helps participants learn tactics for healthy eating, physical activity and other lifestyle changes during 16 one-hour weekly sessions. Following these sessions, participants meet monthly for added support in reaching their ultimate goals of reducing body weight by 5-7 percent and increasing their physical activity to 150 minutes per week.
Programs like the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program have been shown to prevent or delay new cases of type 2 diabetes by 58 percent and as much as 71 percent in adults over the age of 60.
The basis for YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program is a study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), with support from the CDC, that showed how eating healthier, increasing physical activity and losing a modest amount of weight could lead to better health in participants and an overall reduction of new type 2 diabetes cases. The YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program uses a CDC-approved curriculum and is part of the CDC-led National Diabetes Prevention Program.
To learn more about the YMCA of WNC’s Diabetes Prevention Program, please visit ymcawnc.org/diabetes-prevention.
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