Adapted Diabetes Prevention Program

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017). Disability and Health Data System. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Estimates. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/dhds/index.html. 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). National Diabetes Prevention Program Infographic. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/prevention/pdf/NDPP_Infographic.pdf    

National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP)

The NDPP is an evidence-based lifestyle change program designed to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. This program helps participants develop healthy habits, such as increasing physical activity and improving nutrition in order to maintain a 5-7% weight loss and lower their A1C level. This intervention has been shown to reduce participants’ risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58% (CDC, 2018). 

In 2018, the Disability and Health Program (DHP) and DP Programs partnered with several other collaborative projects with the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD) and the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) to identify eight existing Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) providers to serve as pilot sites and implement the DPP curriculum “Prevent T2 for All” that was adapted for persons with mobility limitations. The pilot sites established partnerships with their local Center for Independent Living, local community centers and faith-based organizations to recruit and enroll persons with disabilities (PWD).

Beginning in 2019, the DHP and Special Olympics Florida began reviewing “Prevent T2 for All” curriculum to identify ways to modify and make accommodations for persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

This specific adapted program is funded through two different federal grants.

• DHP five-year CDC grant (1603) “Improving the health of persons with mobility limitations and intellectual or developmental disabilities through state-based public health funds.”
• NACDD (1705 Grant) “Scaling the National Diabetes Prevention Program in Underserved Areas.”

What’s Next?

The DHP plans to:

• Expand the adapted DPP pilot sites to include Centers for Independent Living sites across the state.
• Collaborate with partner disability organizations to adapt current Diabetes Self-Management Education programs to be more inclusive for persons with disabilities.
• Expand participant recruitment and retention efforts to include caregivers in the adapted curriculum for both diabetes prevention and diabetes self-management education programs.
• Pilot test additional inclusive DPP throughout the state.

For more information on the Florida Diabetes Prevention Program, please visit https://www.floridahealth.gov/diseases-and-conditions/diabetes/index.html