As the debate over reforming the nation’s health care system continues, all sides seem to agree that disease prevention is an important part of improving care and lowering costs.
That is the goal behind the “Eat, Walk and Talk Diabetes” education program at The Nebraska Medical Center’s Diabetes Center. The weekly classes focus on teaching patients about how diet, exercise and other lifestyle modifications can prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes.
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James Lane, M.D. |
“This should be a wake-up call. It is an epidemic,” said Nessie Ferguson, clinical dietician and diabetes educator at The Nebraska Medical Center. “Our task is to prevent people from getting type 2 diabetes. We know from research that it’s possible.”
Steady progress
Dianne Brotherton has spent all of 2009 pushing back against the potential of diabetes. She enrolled in The Nebraska Medical Center’s program in January and steadily has been losing weight and improving her outlook.
“I’ve had a weight problem my whole life, ever since I was a kid,” Brotherton said. “I’ve spent a lot of years and a lot of money on fad diets and weight loss programs. They didn’t work long-term. But this is different. It’s the power of the group — being around other people who know what you’re going through. We support each other.”
“It’s a very positive, fun approach,” said Kristina Volkmer, exercise physiologist at The Nebraska Medical Center. “We’re seeing some great results and we know a big part of that is the encouragement our patients get from each other.”
An exercise program that works
Though not a diabetic, Brotherton does live with several chronic conditions that make exercise difficult. It was important for her to find an exercise program that considered those health conditions.
The exercise component of the program shows patients what differences moderate or even light workouts can make. Patients use pedometers to measure the distances they walk each day.
For Brotherton, success and satisfaction is not just measured in the weight she has lost or the new, healthier recipes she has learned.
“It’s preventing another health problem,” she said. “It’s the time that I save not having to go to the doctor’s office or waiting in line at the pharmacy.”
Diet and exercise better than medicine for prevention
“The research shows us diet and exercise modifications are more effective than medication in preventing diabetes for many patients at risk for diabetes,” said Beth Pfeffer, manager of the Diabetes Center. “That kind of prevention is far less expensive for the individual patient and the health care system overall.”
One of the indicators of pre-diabetes is a person’s blood sugar. In pre-diabetics the blood sugar is above normal ranges, but not high enough to be called diabetes.
An estimated 18 million Americans have type 2 diabetes; as many as one-third of them do not know it.
For more on diabetes and its risk factors visit the Diabetes Center on line.