November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, providing a time for people in the Tri-County area to assess their risk for developing prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes is a condition where one’s blood sugar level is higher than normal, but not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. Currently, of the 88 million adults with prediabetes only 20 percent know they have the condition. In addition to the high risk of developing type 2 diabetes, people with prediabetes are also at risk of developing other chronic diseases such as heart disease and stroke.
At the Summerville Family YMCA, we take a community integrated approach to improving health. This means we move health care out of the clinic and into the community where people can easily access the care they need. One such initiative is the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program, a group-based lifestyle intervention for adults at high-risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Participants work with a trained lifestyle coach using CDC-approved curriculum covering topics such as healthy eating, physical activity and other lifestyle changes. It has been shown to reduce the number of new cases of diabetes by 58 percent overall and by 71 percent in adults over 60.
We encourage all community members to take a diabetes risk assessment . Through this assessment, visitors can also learn how lifestyle choices and family history help determine the ultimate risk for developing the disease. Several 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. For more information, please contact us!