Hockomock Area YMCA Hosts YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program Information Session

From the YMCA:

FOXBORO, CT - With millions of Americans at risk for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, the Hockomock Area YMCA and Sturdy Memorial Hospital urge residents of their shared communities to learn their risk and take action to prevent the disease. Currently, diabetes affects nearly 29 million people; another 86 million Americans have prediabetes, yet only about 10 percent are aware of it.

To learn more about the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program at the Hockomock Area YMCA, the community is invited to attend an upcoming information session:

• Monday, June 20th from 12-1pm at the Invensys Foxboro Branch (67 Mechanic St, Foxboro)
• Tuesday, Jun 21st from 7-8pm at the North Attleboro Branch (300 Elmwood St, North Attleboro)
• Wednesday June 22nd from 1-2pm at the Bernon Family Branch (45 Forge Hill Rd, Franklin)

Prediabetes is a condition in which individuals have blood glucose (sugar) levels that are higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. People with prediabetes are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Understanding your risk is the first step in preventing diabetes. Several factors including family history, age, weight and physical activity level can contribute to developing type 2 diabetes. Learn your risk for type 2 diabetes by taking the diabetes risk test at ymca.net/diabetes.

 For those at risk for diabetes, the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program is designed to help individuals reduce that risk. The Program uses a CDC-approved curriculum and is part of the CDC-led National Diabetes Prevention Program. The year-long program consists of 16 weekly sessions and three sessions every other week during the first six months followed by 6 monthly sessions in the second six months. A trained lifestyle coach helps participants learn tactics for healthy eating, physical activity and other lifestyle changes. The YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention resulted from a study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) which showed how healthier eating, increasing physical activity and losing a modest amount of weight could lead to better health in participants and an overall reduction of new type 2 diabetes cases.

The goal of the program is to help adults at risk for diabetes reduce their body weight by 5 to 7 percent and increase their physical activity to 150 minutes per week. Studies have shown that programs like the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program can prevent or delay new cases of type 2 diabetes in adults by 58 percent and by as much as 71 percent in those over age 60. 

The program is available at more than 1,400 sites in 44 states and locally, at all three branches of the Hockomock Area YMCA in Foxboro, Franklin and North Attleboro.  Sturdy Memorial Hospital patients (any individual who has a medical provider associated with Sturdy Memorial Hospital), can enroll in the program at no cost.  For other patients diagnosed with prediabetes, finnanical assistance is available.  The YMCA encourages you to call the Program Coordinator at 508-772-1310 or contact your medical provider for a referral.                

About the Y

The Y is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Across the U.S., 2,700 Ys engage 22 million men, women and children – regardless of age, income or background – to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nation’s health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. Anchored in more than 10,000 communities, the Y has the long-standing relationships and physical presence not just to promise, but to deliver, lasting personal and social change. ymca.net