Dayton YMCA diabetes prevention program sees early success
- Tristan Navera
- Staff Reporter- Dayton Business Journal
Jun 25, 2013, 6:49am EDT
Prompted by initial success in its diabetes prevention program, the YMCA of Greater Dayton says its strategy could save millions of dollars in health costs.
The YMCA’s weekly training and lifestyle modification — which was picked up by the national organization as a pilot for nationwide implementation — has seen above-average success in its first seven classes. The 66 participants in those classes saw an average 5.7 percent weight loss, with average weight of participants going from 213 to 201 pounds. The Dayton YMCA has been running the program since 2010, but its effectiveness in previous years prompted the grant and scrutiny from the national organization.
YMCA of the USA was awarded a $12 million grant earlier this year by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, and selected 17 facilities, including Dayton, to participate in the program, which targets people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
“It’s definitely better than what we have seen in the past,” said Abby Helsinger, diabetes prevention director at Greater Dayton YMCA.
She noted the Dayton YMCA has a greater percentage of body fat loss on average than other institutions, which are averaging 4.9 to 5.1 percent body fat loss. Dayton YMCA also has a high attendance rate of 91 percent for the 16 weekly core sessions participants must attend.
The 12-month program consists of 16 weekly “core sessions” where lifestyle coaches teach small groups how to eat healthier and increase physical activity. After these, monthly maintenance sessions help the students put the lessons into practice.
Another five classes have been completed but statistics have yet been aggregated, 10 more are currently running and another 14 are planned to start between now and September.
The goal of the YMCA, Helsinger said, is to have the $350 cost of the program covered under Medicare as a program to prevent diabetes, and thus reduce costs to the system. Helsinger said the program is testing a population of 10,000 Medicare-eligible people with the goal of saving $63 million in health care costs over six years through preventative care.