Diabetes Prevention Program: Prevent T2

Upcoming Prevent T2 Sessions:

Prevent T2 Sessions (in English): Call 770-219-0966 to pre-register.

What is Prevent T2?

  • A lifestyle change program to help you:
    • Lose Weight
    • Become more active
    • Prevent or delay Type 2 Diabetes
  • Part of the National Diabetes Prevention Program (National DPP)
  • Led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • A proven program to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes

Do you think you may be at risk for diabetes? Click here for the American Diabetes Association/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s prediabetes risk test for type 2 diabetes. 

Who is the Prevent T2 Program For?

  • Anyone at risk for Type 2 Diabetes
  • Anyone with prediabetes

You may have prediabetes and be at risk for type 2 diabetes if you:

  • Are 45 years of age or older
  • Are overweight
  • Have a family history of type 2 diabetes
  • Are physically active fewer than 3 times per week
  • Ever had diabetes while pregnant (gestational diabetes) or gave birth to a baby that weighed more than 9 pounds
  • Without weight loss and moderate physical activity 15% to 30% of people with pre-diabetes will develop type 2 diabetes within 5 years. 

Research has shown that a lifestyle change program, such as PreventT2, that results in 5% to 7% weight loss by reducing calories and increasing physical activity can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58% in people who are at risk.

Prevent T2 – a Lifestyle Change Program:

  • CDC-approved curriculum with lessons, handouts, and other resources to help you make healthy changes.
  • A lifestyle coach, specially trained to lead the program, to help you learn new skills, encourage you to set and meet goals, and keep you motivated. The coach will also facilitate discussions and help make the program fun and engaging.
  • A support group of people with similar goals and challenges. Together, you can share ideas, celebrate successes, and work to overcome obstacles. In some programs, the participants stay in touch with each other during the week. It may be easier to make changes when you’re working as a group than doing it on your own.

PreventT2 – Who is Eligible?

To participate, you must:

  • Be at least 18 years old;
  • Be overweight (BMI ≥ 24; ≥ 22 if Asian);
  • Have no previous diagnosis of type 1 or type 2 diabetes;
  • Have established risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes; or
  • Have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes within the past year or previously diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

Prevent T2 – What You Will Learn

During the first half of the program, you will learn to:  

  • Eat healthy without giving up all the foods you love
  • Add physical activity to your life, even if you don’t think you have time
  • Deal with stress
  • Cope with challenges that can derail your hard work—like how to choose healthy food when eating out
  • Get back on track if you stray from your plan—because everyone slips now and then

In the second half of the program, you will enhance the skills you’ve learned so you can maintain the changes you’ve made. These sessions will review key ideas such as:

  • tracking your food and physical activity
  • setting goals, staying motivated
  • overcoming barriers

Prevent T2 is a year-long program focused on long-term changes and lasting results

  • During the first 6 months of the program, meetings are once a week
  • During the second 6 months, meetings are once or twice a month

You may think you learned enough in the first 6 months and can skip the second half of the program, but you would be cheating yourself!

Making lifestyle changes is an ongoing process. Staying in the program for the full year is essential to help you stick to new habits and avoid slipping back into old habits. And if you have not reached your goals in the first half of the program, your lifestyle coach and other group members can help you succeed.

A year might sound like a long commitment, but learning new habits, gaining new skills, and building confidence takes time. As you begin to eat better and become more active, you’ll notice changes in how you feel, and maybe even in how you look.