HMA publishes white paper, “Implementing the National Diabetes Prevention Program Lifestyle Change Program in Correctional Settings”
September 19, 2023
Correctional facilities can decrease the number of individuals with prediabetes who progress to type 2 diabetes by offering the National Diabetes Prevention Program (National DPP) lifestyle change program. HMA has published a white paper describing (1) the financial and individual impact of type 2 diabetes, (2) the prevalence of type 2 diabetes risk factors in correctional settings, and (3) how the National DPP lifestyle change program, which was created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), can be used to achieve cost savings and better health for people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes in correctional settings.
This white paper also features a program spotlight from the Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC), where the National DPP lifestyle change program has successfully been implemented in three state correctional facilities. Wisconsin’s DOC is currently the only correctional system in the United States providing this program that has been awarded full-recognition status as a supplier of the National DPP lifestyle change program by CDC. A total of 131 individuals have participated in the program, and people who completed the program in 2018-2019 lost an average of 8.3 percent of their body weight.
Administrators of correctional settings, where the length of stay is a year or longer, might consider implementing the National DPP lifestyle change program in their facilities. A cogent argument can be made that type 2 diabetes prevention provides a good return on investment in downstream costs. Offering the program would also be an important step in promoting health equity within correctional settings.
For help starting the National DPP lifestyle change program in a correctional facility, contact the white paper’s authors below.
