- October 13, 2024
-
-
Loading
Loading
One in three adults nationwide have prediabetes and 80% of them don't know it, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Diabetes Education Center at the Flagler Health Department is offering the year-long on-line Health and Lifestyle Training (HALT) National Diabetes Prevention Program. The program is for overweight adults 18 and over who have prediabetes or are high risk of getting Type 2 diabetes.
The interactive program is valued at $650, but through a federal grant the Health Department is offering it free of charge, said Melody Pierre-Jean, a registered dietician who is facilitating the program
Pierre-Jean would like to begin the program in February, but it won't start until at least 10 qualified participants register, she said. Participants can qualify with a blood test through their doctor or they can take a risk test at https://doihaveprediabetes.org/take-the-risk-test. Participants can't be pregnant or have diabetes.
The program is proven to prevent or reduce people's risk of getting Type 2 diabetes, Pierre-Jean said. It focuses on healthy eating, stress management and physical activity.
The program's objective is to help people lose weight, eat better, get active, reduce stress and improve their energy. Participants reduce their risk of getting diabetes by losing 5-7% of their body weight by the end of the year, Pierre-Jean said.
Pierre-Jean serves as program's lifestyle coach. Participants spend 60 minutes a week engaging with their lifestyle coach and reviewing content on a website or with an app on their phone. They are required to exercise 150 minutes a week on their own.
If you're interested in participating in the program, call Pierre-Jean at 386-313-7264. For more information on the program go to haltdpp.org.
The Health Department's Diabetes Education Center also offers a Diabetes Self Education Program, facilitated by Health Education Program Manager Alana Shawah, and other programs related to diabetes education.
Shawah and Pierre-Jean also lead a community walking group each Tuesday and Thursday beginning at 8 a.m. at Palm Coast's Central Park in Town Center. Participants walk around the lake at their own pace and can rest on the many benches along the way. For more information call 386-313-7263 or 386-313-7264 or email [email protected].
