Health department opens registration for free type 2 diabetes prevention class

Apr. 27—Registration is open for a Frederick County Health Department type 2 diabetes prevention class, which is designed to help participants lose weight and exercise more each week.

In the program, participants learn how to eat healthy more often, add physical activity to their routine, manage stress and stay motivated, according to a health department press release.

Groups meet weekly for about four months, then every other week for the rest of the year, health department community health educator Angela Blair wrote in an email.

The class she's offering this session will meet online on Wednesdays from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. Orientation is scheduled for May 11.

Any adult diagnosed with pre-diabetes or at risk for type 2 diabetes is eligible to participate in the free program. To determine your risk level, visit cdc.gov/prediabetes/takethetest/ or call 301-835-9205.

The class, "Prevent T2," is the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's national diabetes prevention program. The health department has been offering the program since 2017, when it received a state health department grant as part of a larger push to increase diabetes prevention programs in Maryland.

The program's curriculum and goals is based on a research study that showed participants at high risk for type 2 diabetes reduced their risk by 58% by losing 5% to 7% of their body weight and doing 150 minutes of moderate physical activity every week, Blair said.

A Frederick Health grant is allowing the county to expand its diabetes prevention programs, Blair said. Groups are being held at various times and days of the week in both English and Spanish. They are available in online, in-person and online self-directed formats.

Type 2 diabetes is among the three public health concerns Frederick County will prioritize in its local health improvement efforts over the next three years, the county's Health Care Coalition announced in February.

Nine percent of Frederick County residents have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, close to the national average of 10.5%, a local nurse practitioner said during the meeting where the announcement took place.

Pre-diabetes affects more than one in three adults, according to a health department news release on Monday. Nearly two thirds of adults in Frederick County are classified as overweight or obese, risk factors for type 2 diabetes, according to the release.

Each Prevent T2 group is led by a lifestyle coach, who encourages participants to share their experience with each week's topic and to exchange tips and ideas, Blair said. At the end of each meeting, coaches invite participants to choose a small routine or habit they'd like to work on changing or adopting.

"A key component of the program is group support and participants being there for one another through their challenges and successes," she said.

To determine eligibility and register for the program, contact Blair at (301) 835-9205 or ablair@frederickcountymd.gov. Space is limited.

Follow Angela Roberts on Twitter: @24_angier

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