YMCA of Greater New York continues to expand Diabetes Prevention Program

The YMCA of Greater New York continues to expand its evidence-based, award-winning YMCA's Diabetes Prevention Program, which to-date has helped New Yorkers shed more than two tons of excess weight - or 4,466 pounds - and reduce their risk for developing type 2 diabetes. The YMCA has announced those program results to mark American Diabetes Month and to remind the nearly two million New Yorkers with prediabetes that preventing or delaying the onset of type 2 diabetes is possible by making relatively small and easy-to-implement lifestyle changes.

The YMCA's Diabetes Prevention Program is delivered as a 12-month lifestyle behavior intervention, with 16 core sessions followed by monthly maintenance sessions. The program helps address the prediabetes epidemic through peer support, healthy eating, increased activity, weight management and other lifestyle changes.

Since its launch in 2010 as a pilot program, the YMCA's Diabetes Prevention Program has nearly or more than doubled in size each year. The program has brought life-changing diabetes prevention education to more than 400 individuals across the five boroughs this year alone, up from 253 individuals in 2012. To date the YMCA of Greater New York has delivered more than 100 classes throughout the city with participation by nearly 800 New Yorkers.

"Diabetes has risen 13 percent in NYC since 2002, with one in eight New Yorkers now living with the disease," said Judy Ouziel, YMCA of Greater New York Senior Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives. "The good news is that this condition is largely preventable with some simple lifestyle adjustments. The YMCA's Diabetes Prevention Program continues to grow each year, helping hundreds of New Yorkers prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes, and is a testament to the Y's role as a key provider of important and need-based NYC community programs."

Tackling Prediabetes in NYC through Evidence-Based Lifestyle Training and Support

Diabetes currently affects an estimated 1.3 million adult New Yorkers, while another 23 percent have prediabetes and are at risk for developing the disease. To help address these rising epidemics, the YMCA of Greater New York launched the YMCA's Diabetes Prevention Program in New York City as a pilot in the fall of 2010, and formally expanded the program citywide in September 2011. The program is now being offered at YMCA branches across the five boroughs, as well as in several clinical settings, including two Montefiore Medical Center primary sites in the Bronx. The program is offered by the Y with support from UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and is available to all New Yorkers who qualify for the program.

The YMCA's Diabetes Prevention Program results have been consistent with the original U.S. Diabetes Prevention Program study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and supported by the CDC, which showed that programs that help individuals achieve 5- to 7-percent weight reduction through lifestyle changes can reduce the number of cases of type 2 diabetes by 58 percent. The average percentage of weight loss per participant achieved through the YMCA's Diabetes Prevention Program is 5.6 pounds, or 5.1 percent of their overall body weight. Fifty two percent of participants achieved their goal of losing 5 percent or more of their body weight and as a result, prevented or delayed the onset of type 2 diabetes.

The program is administered in a group setting, led by a trained YMCA lifestyle coach who helps participants understand how to eat healthier, increase their physical activity and adopt other behavior modifications that lower their risk for type 2 diabetes over the course of a year. After 16 initial core sessions, participants meet monthly for added support to help them maintain their progress.

"The YMCA is well-positioned to go into New York City communities and reach those most at risk of developing a potentially debilitating and deadly but largely preventable illness," says YMCA of Greater New York President and CEO Jack Lund. "The success of the YMCA's Diabetes Prevention Program demonstrates the seriousness with which we take our mission of helping New Yorkers promote healthier lifestyles."