The YMCA has introduced a new program to help adults make lasting lifestyle changes to improve their overall health and reduce their chance of developing type 2 diabetes.

The Y will now offer The YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program — a program to reduce the burden of type 2 diabetes — a very costly chronic disease.

The program is a group-based lifestyle intervention for adults at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and has been shown to reduce the number of new cases of diabetes by 58 percent overall and by 71 percent in adults over 60, according to a press release. The Y’s program will be available at the Austin Y beginning in January 2015.

“The CDC reports that in 2010, one in 10 U.S. adults had diabetes and, if trends continue, as many as one in three U.S. adults could have diabetes by the year 2050. The incidence of diabetes in Mower County is very similar. This is staggering,” said Jill Wagner, Diabetes Program Prevention Coordinator, in a press release. “But what’s more staggering is that currently, 79 million have pre-diabetes but only 11 percent are aware of it.”

This is a year-long program with 16 weekly sessions followed by eight monthly sessions. In a classroom setting, a trained lifestyle coach helps participants learn skills such as healthy eating, increasing physical activity, and other behavior changes for their everyday lives. The goals of the program are seven percent weight loss and an increase in physical activity to 150 minutes per week.

To be eligible for this program, participants must be at least 18 years old with a BMI of 25 or greater and at risk for developing type 2 diabetes or have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes. Youth under 18 and persons diagnosed with diabetes do not qualify. A YMCA membership is not required for participation.

The YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Diabetes Prevention and Control Alliance, and other national organizations committed to preventing chronic disease.

For more information about this program contact Jill Wagner or Kristi Stasi at 507-433-1804 or email jwagner@ymca-austin.org.