LincolnHealth, the Boothbay Region YMCA, and the Central Lincoln County YMCA encourage Lincoln County residents to learn the factors for developing prediabetes and type 2 diabetes on American Diabetes Association Alert Day®

March 28 is American Diabetes Association Alert Day and with millions of Americans at risk for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, LincolnHealth and the Boothbay Region and CLC YMCAs urge residents of Lincoln County to take action to prevent the disease. Currently, diabetes affects nearly 29 million people; another 86 million Americans have prediabetes, yet only about 10 percent are aware of it. Diabetes also puts an incredible strain on our health care system, costing billions of dollars a year to treat and manage the disease.

Prediabetes is a condition in which individuals have blood glucose (sugar) levels that are higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. People with prediabetes are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. In Lincoln County, an estimated 5,381 residents have prediabetes; the vast majority may not even know it.

Understanding your risk is the first step in preventing diabetes. Several factors including family history, age, weight and physical activity level can contribute to developing type 2 diabetes. Learn your risk for type 2 diabetes by taking the diabetes risk test at rethinkdiabetes.org.

For those at risk for diabetes, the next step is to make the necessary changes to help prevent the disease. Programs like the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program can help. This program is offered in Lincoln County by the Boothbay Region and CLC YMCAs in partnership with LincolnHealth. Facilitated by a trained Lifestyle Coach, the yearlong program provides a supportive environment where participants work together in a small group to learn about behavior changes that can improve overall health. The goal of the program is to help adults at risk for diabetes reduce their body weight by 5 to 7 percent and increase their physical activity to 150 minutes per week.

The Diabetes Prevention Program is making an impact in Lincoln County. “This program has been good for me,” says Colleen, a current participant in the class that meets in Boothbay Harbor. “As I approach one of the birthdays with a zero, I know it is time to take off the excess weight and learn to eat healthier. I am a four-year cancer survivor. Charting our food and the weekly weigh-ins help to keep me on track.

It has been easier than I thought it would be. I have always been overweight and would lose and then regain it like so many. Casey, our Lifestyle Coach, and the others in the group are very supportive.”

Studies have shown that programs like the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program can prevent or delay new cases of type 2 diabetes in adults by 58 percent and by as much as 71 percent in those over age 60.

New classes are forming now to start meeting in Damariscotta (a weekday daytime class) and in Wiscasset (a weekday evening). To learn more about the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program, please contact Casey Clark Kelley at 207-350-7026 or cclarkelley@clcymca.org.