Type 2 Diabetes
Prevention Program

The National Diabetes Prevention Program—or National DPP—is a partnership of public and private organizations working to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes.

The partners work to make it easier for people with prediabetes or at risk for type 2 diabetes to participate in evidence-based, affordable, and high-quality lifestyle change programs to reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes and improve their overall health.

You’ll start the program by scheduling a meeting with one of our certified health coaches. After the visit, the health coach will work with you to create your personalized lifestyle optimization roadmap that caters to your needs and health concerns. Our registered dietitian will develop a customized meal plan for you to begin your 4-week energy transformation plan.

Ciba Health utilizes a multidisciplinary root-cause approach grounded in holistic and precision medicine. We take a comprehensive and personalized approach to care for each patient — studying their medical history, lifestyle, and unique biochemistry. We are using cutting-edge technology and a dedicated team of providers to equip patients with the knowledge they need to reverse chronic conditions and lead healthy lives. Each patient has a dedicated health coach, dietitian and physician who work as a team to create a personalized health plan, and make sure the patient has tools, knowledge and behavioral support to implement it.

During the first half of the program, you will learn to:

• Eat healthy without giving up all the foods you love
• Add physical activity to your life, even if you don’t think you have time
• Deal with stress
• Cope with challenges that can derail your hard work—like how to choose healthy food when eating out
• Get back on track if you stray from your plan—because everyone slips now and then

In the second half of the program, you will enhance the skills you’ve learned so you can maintain the changes you’ve made. These sessions will review key ideas such as tracking your food and physical activity, setting goals, staying motivated, and overcoming barriers. The lifestyle coach and small group will continue to support you. You may learn some new information, too.

All CDC-recognized lifestyle change programs follow a CDC-approved curriculum and discuss the same topics over the year. But, your lifestyle coach will adapt the sessions to match your group’s background, interests, and needs.

For instance, your lifestyle coach may:

• Show you how to prepare healthy versions of popular local or ethnic foods and ask for ideas from group members
• Provide tips for eating healthy during cultural holidays or events
• Share fun local events that can help you be physically active
• Give you handouts to address your specific concerns

Research shows that CDC-recognized lifestyle change program participants who lost 5-7% of their body weight and added 150 minutes of exercise per week cut their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to 58% (71% for people over 60 years old).

Even a decade later, program participants were one-third less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than individuals who did not join a program.

The program can also lower your risk of having a heart attack or stroke, improve your health, help you feel more energetic, and even reverse your prediabetes diagnosis.

Why a CDC-Recognized Lifestyle Change Program?

CDC supports this lifestyle change program because research shows it works. A randomized, controlled clinical trial showed that completing this lifestyle change program reduced program participants’ chances of developing type 2 diabetes by 58% compared to placebo (71% for individuals aged 60 and older), nearly twice as much as the reduction among the group taking metformin (31%).

The program focuses on life-long changes to certain habits and behaviors, which helps participants maintain healthy improvements over time. A 10-year follow-up study showed that participants were still one-third less likely to develop type 2 diabetes a decade later than individuals who took a placebo. Those who did develop type 2 diabetes delayed the onset of the disease by about 4 years.

CDC-recognized lifestyle change programs are also convenient. Nearly 2,000 organizations offer CDC-recognized lifestyle change programs, many of which are in multiple languages or are offered fully online. There is likely a convenient option for your at-risk patients in their community.

Quality Assurance

CDC only recognizes programs that use trained coaches and an approved curriculum. To help organizations, CDC developed its own research-based curriculum, which it offers to organizations at no cost. Organizations that wish to use their own curriculum must submit it for CDC review to ensure it meets quality standards.

CDC also offers technical assistance and numerous resources to help ensure program success.