Development of a Diabetes Prevention Program Tool-Kit

Indian Health Center (IHC) has been providing its Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) to American Indian/Alaska Native City residents since 2004. The curriculum is based on a study sponsored by National Institute of Health (NIH) which found that an intensive lifestyle intervention with 7% weight loss and 150 minutes of physical activity can lower the risk of diabetes by 58%. These startling results were published in 2002. Because American Indians have the highest rate of diabetes of any group in the world, in 2004 the Federal Indian Health Service funded DPP pilot programs in Indian communities across the country to translate the NIH study from research to community settings. After seven years of translation, the program is now an IHS best practice. Because of its tremendous success in preventing diabetes in the Native community, in 2007 the IHC started pursuing additional funding to enhance the program to reach other at-risk populations. After achieving this goal, in 2010, IHC's DPP began development of a tool-kit to more widely distribute its innovative 17-week multigenerational lifestyle change program. IHC's DPP is grounded in American Indian healing traditions addressing body, heart, mind and spirit; DPP is taught by a multidisciplinary team of professionals including a Registered Dietitian, Certified Diabetes Educator, Mental Health Counselor, Kinesiologist, Fitness Trainers and Health Educators. The evidence-based curriculum includes topics on healthy eating, exercise, stress management, and building support for lifestyle changes. The goal of the DPP tool kit is to provide a framework to launch a DPP in underserved communities.