Dexter Wellness Center to host National Diabetes Prevention Program

(Chelsea Update would like to thank Lindsay White and Matt Pegouskie for the information in this story.)

The National Kidney Foundation of Michigan (NKFM) and the Chelsea-Area Wellness Foundation have partnered to offer the National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) in Dexter.

An hour-long information session will be held at the Dexter Wellness Center on Wednesday, Jan. 8 at 11 a.m. during which prospective participants can learn more about NDPP.

The group starts meeting weekly on Wednesday, Jan. 15 from 11 a.m.-noon at the Dexter Wellness Center, 2810 Baker Road.

The informational session on Jan. 8 is free and open to anyone interested in preventing diabetes, and will give listeners information to help them decide whether the program is right for them.

There is no cost to participate in this NDPP workshop, however, you must qualify.

Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, causing more than 40 percent of all kidney failure cases.

However, type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed. Research shows that losing a moderate amount of weight and being physically active can help delay type 2 diabetes among those who are at risk.

“Diabetes is one of the most serious health challenges in America today,” said Dr. Art Franke, senior VP and chief science officer at the NKFM.

“The Diabetes Prevention Program is a powerful answer because it provides participants with the tools to take greater control over their health and work toward living diabetes-free,” he said in a press release.

NDPP is a 16-week program, which helps those at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes to adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Meetings are one hour and take place in a classroom setting where a trained lifestyle coach helps participants learn about behavior changes, including eating properly, increasing physical activity, and lose of a modest amount of weight.  After the 16 sessions, participants will also meet monthly for one year for additional support in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

The classes will be held at the Dexter Wellness Center so participants have access to welcoming, functional, centralized meeting space.

“Participants are encouraged to come to their regularly scheduled meetings 15 minutes early if they’d like to walk around our track before the meetings begin,” says Angela Sargeant, director of the Dexter Wellness Center.

In 2013, the NKFM and Chelsea-Area Wellness Foundation partnered to offer NDPP at the Chelsea Wellness Center. By the end of the 16 core sessions, 19 of the participants lost an overall average of 5 percent of their starting body weight and averaged 290 minutes of physical activity each week.

The group has continued to lose weight during the 7 months of post-core sessions and at this time has lost an average of 8.9 percent of their starting weight.

“I feel more in-control of my eating and I put more effort into finding good exercise that ‘fits’ for me,” said one participant, who added, “I have a greater sense that my health is important enough to warrant time and money spent on exercise and diet.”

“Based on the results of the NDPP clinical trial, over half of the individuals from the last NDPP class held at Chelsea Wellness Center will delay or prevent type 2 diabetes—a great step forward in NKFM’s goal to tip the scales against this epidemic,” Franke said.

To qualify for NDPP you must be overweight and at a high risk for developing diabetes, or overweight and diagnosed with prediabetes.

In order to participate in the program, a doctor can tell if you’re at risk for diabetes with a blood test, or you can find out if you’re at risk with a screening assessment. Screening assessments will be offered on Jan. 8 at the informational session.

A combination of factors such as family history, gestational diabetes, and high cholesterol are other factors that can increase the risk for developing diabetes.

To register for NDPP or learn if you qualify, please call Leigh Vogelsong at the NKFM at 800-482-1455. For more information, please click here.