The Westchester County Department of Health is launching classes to help those with prediabetes reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes and make lasting lifestyle changes to improve their health.
Free Diabetes Prevention Classes are being formed now! Led by a health department staff member who has been trained as a lifestyle coach, the classes offer a year of motivation and support at no cost to participants. Classes follow an evidence based curriculum with a proven track record of success.
To learn if you are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes, take a short quiz by texting “RISKTEST” to 97779 on your smartphone or take the prediabetes risk test online. If you are at risk, call the Health Department at 914-995-6585 to find out about enrolling in one of our diabetes prevention classes.
One in three adults in the U.S. age 20 or older have prediabetes. A person with prediabetes has an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke, which are among the leading causes of death in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nine out of 10 people with prediabetes are unaware that they have it.
Having prediabetes means that your blood glucose (sugar) levels are higher than normal, but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as diabetes. The earlier someone is diagnosed with prediabetes, the more likely it is that they can reverse it and prevent type 2 diabetes. Without intervention, 15 to 30 percent of people with prediabetes will develop Type 2 diabetes within five years.
You are at risk for prediabetes if you:
- are 18 years of age or older and are overweight
- have a parent or a sibling with diabetes
- gave birth to a baby weighing nine pounds or more
- ever had diabetes while pregnant (gestational diabetes)
- are physically active fewer than three times per week