Only a few spots left, sign up for the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) 

The Knox County Health Department (KCHD) is celebrating American Diabetes Awareness Month by urging the community to take the diabetes risk test to learn risk factors associated with prediabetes. One in three adults in the U.S. have prediabetes, but nearly 90 percent of those people don’t know they have it. Due to the prevalence of this disease, KCHD offers several prevention programs aimed at reducing diabetes rates across all age groups, including diabetes management and heart health classes, Nutrition Education Activity Training (N.E.A.T.), worksite wellness initiatives, and others.

This year, KCHD introduced Eat Smart, Move More, Prevent Diabetes. This program is designed to help people with prediabetes (or those who are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes) manage their health and prevent long-term complications. With only a few spots left to fill by January, those who qualify are encouraged to sign up for this life-changing program.

The Diabetes Prevention Program is a CDC-recognized lifestyle change program that aims to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. This program is offered across the country and is proven by research to cut the risk of type 2 diabetes by more than half. The program encourages healthy lifestyle changes that not only lower the risk of type 2 diabetes, but lower the risk of heart attack and stroke as well. Through a grant-funded partnership with the state of Tennessee, KCHD will be covering the cost of the 12-month online program for those who qualify.

To find out if you qualify for the DPP, take this short survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DPPdoiqualify. For those who qualify, KCHD will send an enrollment code to sign up for free. For any questions or help signing up, email nutrition@knoxcounty.org or call 865-215-5170.