Diabetes Prevention Workshop – Online, Convenient, and Lifechanging

Taking steps to prevent diabetes is important especially since about 1 in 3 people with prediabetes will progress into diabetes within five years.

According to the Vermont Department of Health, more than 55,000 Vermonters are diagnosed with diabetes, a serious health condition and one of the leading causes of death resulting from a chronic disease. This is a staggering statistic but dwarfed by the indications that show one out of four Vermonters do not yet know they have diabetes! Taking steps to prevent diabetes is important especially since about 1 in 3 people with prediabetes will progress into diabetes within five years.

Type 2 diabetes, which is the most common type, is usually seen in adults, but overweight young people are also at risk. Assessing one’s risk for developing diabetes is an important step in avoiding this chronic illness all together. The Community Health Improvement Team at Rutland Regional Medical Center is hosting a free online Diabetes Prevention program to help people avoid diabetes. The program runs on Saturdays from 9am-10am beginning September 7 and ending August 2, 2025.

The year-long program consists of 16 weekly core sessions, plus monthly maintenance sessions to help hard-wire healthy behaviors and to provide encouragement toward success. The online Self-Management workshop for Diabetes Prevention will be facilitated by Kristen Hixon who is a well-known expert on diabetes prevention, care, and management. Attendees will learn how to decrease their risk of developing diabetes through healthy eating, getting more physical activity, managing stress, and creating action plans that work for them. Participants will also learn to develop support systems and how to identify triggers that lead to unhealthy behaviors or choices. 

The program is based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s evidenced-based Diabetes Prevention Program that has been proven to help people reduce or delay their risk for Type 2 Diabetes. Participants in the Diabetes Prevention Program will learn how to lower their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by more than 50% by making small lifestyle changes. Data show that participants of the program were more likely to reduce their weight by 5%.   

Many people find out that they are at risk for diabetes from their healthcare provider, and they are the lucky ones. About 9 in 10 people with prediabetes don’t know that they have it so knowing one’s risk is good and provides a chance to take steps to help prevent diabetes.

Take the quiz! The Vermont Department of Health (VDH) provides a simple online quiz so you can see your risk for prediabetes. You can take the prediabetes risk quiz on the VDH website here: https://www.myhealthyvt.org/prediabetes-risk-quiz/

Diabetes is a difficult chronic disease, and this program will help you gain important information, surround yourself with support, and learn new behaviors and habits to help you stay as healthy as possible.

To sign up to participate in the online Diabetes Prevention Program, please Visit MyHealthyVT.org and sign up at this link: https://www.myhealthyvt.org/workshop_dates/online-diabetes-prevention-11/ or call 802.747.3768. 

Visit MyHealthyVT.org to view all the available classes.