Share

US programmes aim to reduce new diabetes cases

accreditation
Weights and fruit
Weights and fruit
Shutterstock

The Community Preventive Services Task Force, an independent, unpaid group of public health and prevention experts who develop recommendations for community health, commissioned a review of 53 studies describing 66 combined diet and physical activity promotion programmes. The studies were done between 1991 and 2015.

Counselling, coaching and support

The Task Force found strong evidence that these programmes are effective at reducing the number of new cases of diabetes, according to a report in Annals of Internal Medicine.

"If you exercise and eat better, you'll reduce your risk of developing diabetes," said Dr Patrick L Remington, co-author of the recommendation statement on behalf of the Task Force. "But if you simply tell somebody to eat better and exercise, that does not work."

Read: Type 2 diabetes can affect your thinking 

The diet and exercise promotion programmes included providers or trained laypeople working directly with participants for at least three months, providing counselling, coaching and support over multiple sessions.

Some also included specialists like nutritionists, physiotherapists, individually tailored diet and exercise programmes and specific weight-loss goals.

Read: Lifestyle changes key to weight loss

The programmes were targeted to teens and adults with "pre-diabetes", marked by elevated blood sugar levels that were not yet high enough to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

"In general, people who may be at increased risk for diabetes (both adults and children) include those who are overweight or obese and those who have a sedentary lifestyle," Dr Ethan Balk of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, lead author of the evidence review, told Reuters Health by email.

The review found that community-based programmes helped improve weight loss, lower blood sugar and reduce the risk for a later diabetes diagnosis. Some also reduced blood sugar and improved cholesterol markers, and none reported any long-term harms related to the programmes.

Many years of healthy life

In an economic assessment, the Task Force also found that these programmes are cost-effective. Half of participants paid less than $653 (±R8,300) to take part, and costs were lower for group-based or primary-care based programmes.

"This is more cost effective than most of what we do in medicine, but not cost saving, it does cost something," Remington said by phone. "But the return for those costs are many years of healthy life gained, so we consider it cost effective."

Gyms and health clubs already offer these types of programmes for a modest fee, he said.

"It's shocking," he added, "that we are not doing it as a routine part of the health care system. We've designed a healthcare system to treat sick people, not to prevent disease."

Read: Treating type 2 diabetes 

The first step may be a change in providers' attitudes, he said, noting that many doctors do not believe that diabetes can be prevented through lifestyle changes.

'Find a programme near you'

"I think that the medical community has been so influenced by long term secular trends that they've lost confidence in the individual to treat themselves through lifestyle changes," he said.

Then the insurance and outreach system needs to change, and training laypeople or non-physician specialists to provide these programmes should increase, he said.

"The (Affordable Care Act) doesn't really cover these type of intense prevention programmes," Remington said. "Generally we've left people alone with advice."

There are National Diabetes Prevention Programme resources in every state, and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has a registry of recognised programmes and a "Find a programme near you" function. 

Read more:

A healthy body equals a healthy brain

The diabetes diet debate 

We need to exercise more and spend less time sitting

Image: Weights and fruit from Shutterstock

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE