For four years, YMCA Southcoast has partnered with local employers, municipalities, hospitals, and clinics to build awareness of the health risks associated with developing type 2 diabetes. Beginning this fall, the Y plans to offer its CDC-recognized Diabetes Prevention Program in Spanish and Portuguese as well as English.

The Spanish-language information session will be held at Greater New Bedford Community Health at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 25, and the Portuguese session will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Oct. 24 at the New Bedford Y. Information sessions in English will be held at GNBCH at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 23, at the New Bedford YMCA at 11 a.m. on Oct. 8 and 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 9, at the Gleason Family YMCA at 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 21, and at the Fall River YMCA at 5:30 p.m. on  Oct. 30.

“YMCA Southcoast is poised to be a part of a new healthcare delivery system that values prevention,” said Dara Midwood, YMCA Southcoast DPP Coordinator. “Partnering with local employers and community health centers is critical in transforming our thinking as a community to keep ourselves healthy and to reduce the preventable burden of diabetes.”

Currently, diabetes affects nearly 29 million people. Another 86 million Americans have prediabetes, yet only about 10 percent are aware of it. 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.

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 ymca.net/diabetes. 

  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. 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 7 percent and increase their physical activity to 150 minutes per week. Studies have shown that programs like the YDPP 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. To register or learn more about the program, contact Dara Midwood at dmidwood@ymcasc.org or 508.996.9622x141.

The Y is one of the Southcoast’s leading nonprofits strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. Across the U.S., 2,700 Ys engage 21 million men, women, and children – regardless of age, income, or background – to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nation’s health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. Anchored in more than 10,000 communities, the Y has the long-standing relationships and physical presence not just to promise, but to deliver, lasting personal and social change. Learn more at ymcasouthcoast.org.