Diabetes prevention program gives new session | Guam Information

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TakeCare Insurance Co.’s Lifestyle Change Program to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes has a new session starting Saturday.

Participants learn lifestyle habits that lead to a healthy weight, active lifestyle and stress management.

While health officials have worked to educate the community about the dangers of diabetes, the disease has come to the fore in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Diabetes is a common comorbidity among patients hospitalized and among people who lost their lives after contracting the virus that causes COVID-19.

According to the World Bank, the prevalence of diabetes among Guamanians aged 20 to 79 in 2019 was 18.7% in 2019. In addition, doctors from Manila who were in Guam for a health conference in 2018 said that about 80% of the Guam patients they looked for had diabetic wound care.

“One in three American adults has prediabetes, so the need for prevention has never been greater,” said Ernest Aquino, team leader, wellness and fitness programs at TakeCare. “The PreventT2 program offers a proven approach to preventing or delaying the onset of type 2 diabetes through modest lifestyle changes made with the assistance of a trainer and colleagues.”

PreventT2 groups meet for a year – weekly for the first three months, then twice a month for the next nine months.

According to a press release, PreventT2 is part of the National Diabetes Prevention Program run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The local program starts on February 20th. The first meeting takes place from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the TakeCare Wellness Center in the Baltej Pavilion. Space is limited due to COVID-19 restrictions. Lessons can take place virtually in Microsoft teams. Participants are encouraged to register as soon as possible.

TakeCare members can sign up for the program for free. Non-members pay $ 100, the press release said.