Blazer Wellness is excited to announce a new program offered through the Center for Exercise is Medicine and Rehabilitation (CEMR) for the prevention of developing T2 diabetes. VSU is one of five campuses selected to receive grant funding through the USG and Diabetes Training and Technical Assistance Center (DTTAC). In December of 2019, sixteen individuals were trained as DPP Lifestyle Coaches using the National Diabetes Prevention Program model.

One cohort has completed this program. A second cohort will begin in the fall of 2022. 

 Archived Information Session

Why the program?

Prediabetes means that your blood sugar is higher than normal. But it's not high enough for type 2 diabetes. 

  • More than 1 in 3 American adults has prediabetes.
  • 9 out of 10 people with prediabetes don't know they have it.

If you have prediabetes, you are more likely to get:

  • Diabetes
  • Heart disease 
  • Stroke

The good news is that losing weight and being active can cut your risk of type 2 diabetes in half. And you don't have to go at it alone. 

How it works:

This is a year-long program. It's designed for people with prediabetes. It's also for people who are at high risk for type 2 diabetes and want to lower their risk.

  • In-person group coaching sessions using a set curriculum once a week (1-hour) for six months
  • In-person group coaching sessions using a set curriculum once a month for the next six months.

Cohorts will meet on Thursdays at 11:00 AM. 

This grant-funded program is free of charge for all VSU employees. Spouses on a USG healthcare plan may also participate. Other individuals, please contact Dr. LaGary Carter regarding participation options.

How to apply:

Step 1: The first step is to determine your eligibility based on your risk level. If you have been told by a doctor that you are at risk, go to step 2 and complete the application. If you have not been told you have elevated glucose or are at risk for pre-diabetes, complete the 30-second quiz using the link below. If the test indicates you are at risk, complete step two.

https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/risktest/index.html

Step 2: Complete the online application. 

Questions?

Contact Dr. LaGary Carter, bncarter@valdosta.edu, (229) 333-5895 or Paul Higgs, pphiggs@valdosta.edu, (229) 245-4380

The National Diabetes Prevention Program—or National DPP—was created in 2010 to address the increasing burden of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes in the United States. This national effort created partnerships between public and private organizations to offer evidence-based, cost-effective interventions that help prevent type 2 diabetes in communities across the United States.

One key feature of the National DPP is the CDC-recognized lifestyle change program, a research-based program focusing on healthy eating and physical activity which showed that people with prediabetes who take part in a structured lifestyle change program can cut their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58% (71% for people over 60 years old).