Promising start for national diabetes prevention program

(HealthDay)—The National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) has achieved widespread implementation of the lifestyle change portion to help prevent type 2 diabetes, according to a study published online May 12 in Diabetes Care.

Elizabeth K. Ely, from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, and colleagues assessed participant-level results from the first four years of implementation of the National DPP involving 14,747 adults. The authors summarized data on attendance, weight, and physical activity, and assessed predictors of weight loss.

The researchers found that over an average of 172 days in the program, participants attended a median of 14 sessions. The average weight loss was 4.2 percent, with 35.5 percent of participants achieving the goal of 5 percent weight loss. The weekly average of physical activity was 152 minutes, with 41.8 percent achieving the target of 150 minutes of physical activity per week. Participants lost 0.3 percent of body weight for every additional session attended and every 30 minutes of activity reported (P < 0.0001).

"During the first four years, the National DPP has achieved widespread implementation of the lifestyle change program to prevent type 2 diabetes, with promising early results," the authors write. "Greater duration and intensity of session attendance resulted in a higher percent of body weight loss overall and for subgroups."

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