The Department of Veterans Affairs announced the implementation of a pilot version of the Diabetes Prevention Program, a program aimed at reducing the number of veterans who develop the disease.
Promoted nationally by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) was a major, multi-center clinical research study aimed at discovering whether modest weight loss through dietary change and increased physical activity or treatment with metformin could prevent or delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes among participants who were prediabetic.
According to a press release, the pilot program will be offered on a volunteer basis to veterans who are at risk for, but not diagnosed with, diabetes. Participants will attend a series of group sessions and will be given predetermined weight loss and physical activity goals. Other veterans at risk for diabetes will receive weight management care through the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA’s) current weight management program, called MOVE!, which targets a broad range of patients who are obese or overweight with obesity-related conditions.
“The Diabetes Prevention Program will provide veterans with another tool to help them lead healthier, fuller lives, reducing their risk for diabetes,” Eric K. Shinseki, secretary of the VA, stated in a press release.
A limited number of veterans with prediabetes will be able to participate in the pilot DPP clinical program at the medical centers in Minneapolis, Baltimore and greater Los Angeles.
