By Susie King and Bintu Sekyere
Indiana State Department of Health

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 36 percent of Hoosier adults have prediabetes. The good news: The CDC’s National Diabetes Prevention Program (National DPP) is a “first of its kind” program available for patients specifically diagnosed with prediabetes. It is designed to prevent or delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes in adults with prediabetes or at risk for Type 2 diabetes.

The National DPP lifestyle change program is founded on the science of the Diabetes Prevention Program research study and subsequent translation studies. These studies showed that making realistic behavior changes helped people with prediabetes lose 5 percent to 7 percent of their body weight and reduce their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 58 percent (71 percent for people over 60 years old). The program is group-based and facilitated by a trained lifestyle coach. It uses a CDC-approved curriculum, which builds peer support and focuses on behavior modification through healthy eating, increasing physical activity and managing stress.

To be eligible and to qualify for the National DPP, participants need to meet the following requirements:

• Be 18 or older, and not be pregnant at the time of enrollment; and
• Have a body mass index (BMI) of ≥25 kg/m2 (≥23 kg/m2, if Asian American); and
• Have had no previous diagnosis of Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, and
• Have had a recent blood test indicating prediabetes within the past year (this may be self-reported) showing:
  o Fasting glucose of 100 to 125 mg/dl, or
  o Plasma glucose measured two hours after a 75 gm glucose load of 140 to 199 mg/dl, or
  o An A1c test result of 5.7 to 6.4, or
• Be clinically diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) during a previous pregnancy (this may be self-reported); or
• Have a positive screening for prediabetes based on the CDC’s Prediabetes Screening Test. This risk test can be found on the state’s website: https://doihaveprediabetes.org/take-the-risk-test

The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) lists all the organizations in the state offering the program.
Physicians should contact these programs to see how to refer patients. Virtual programs are accessible online. 

For more information, contact Susie King, Diabetes Prevention Coordinator, by email or call (317) 233-7343.