Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP)
What is the Diabetes Prevention Program?
The National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) encourages collaboration among federal agencies, community-based organizations, employers, insurers, health care professionals, academia, and other stakeholders to prevent or delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes among people with prediabetes in the United States. During the year-long program, which consists of 16-weekly core sessions followed by 8-monthly post-core sessions, participants are taught strategies for incorporating physical activity into daily life and eating healthy. Trained “DPP Lifestyle Coaches” work with participants to identify emotions and situations that can sabotage their success and the group process encourages participants to share strategies for dealing with challenging situations.
The two major participant goals of the lifestyle program are:
- Weight loss of 5-7% of initial body weight
- Physical activity of 150 minutes per week
Multiple randomized clinical trials have demonstrated the effectiveness of a lifestyle intervention to prevent diabetes, including the Diabetes Prevention Program research study which published results in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2002. Based on the original study completed by the National Institutes of Health these lifestyle changes have reduced the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 58% in people with prediabetes (over 70% for those over the age of 60.
Learn more about the CDC’s National Diabetes Prevention Program by visiting www.cdc.gov/diabetes/prevention/index.htm