YMCA of New York State, Inc.
YMCA of New York State, Inc.
Grant Status
In Progress
Project Title
Implementing the YMCA Diabetes Prevention Program Across New York
Award Amount
$374,000
Location
Statewide, based in Albany, NY
Website
Date Awarded
April 1, 2010
According to the American Diabetes Association, pre-diabetes puts people at a higher risk for developing diabetes, but with timely interventions diabetes can be significantly delayed, and in some cases, prevented. A healthy lifestyle change can lower the risks of developing diabetes. This grant will support the start-up phase of a YMCA Diabetes Prevention Program. The goal of the initiative is to create and sustain a statewide infrastructure for addressing pre-diabetes, a condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.
The YMCA will replicate a program that was piloted and tested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that has been shown to reduce the risk of adults with pre-diabetes from developing diabetes by 58%, and by 71% for adults over the age of 60. Researchers at Indiana University piloted and evaluated the YMCA program, and found it to be as effective as the CDC-funded diabetes program.
The YMCA Diabetes Prevention Program is a 16-week, community-based program conducted by trained YMCA staff to teach people how to modify their eating and physical activity habits, and to sustain those changes over time. At the program’s completion, participants are encouraged to participate in a weekly maintenance program for up to one year. The YMCA will replicate the program in 10 New York regions (click here for the full list), and will seek third-party reimbursement and financing from employers to sustain the program and support its expansion to additional regions and YMCA locations.