Key Points
- CDC's Division of Diabetes Translation funds national organizations to further build the National Diabetes Prevention Program (National DPP) infrastructure in underserved areas.
- It supports organizations in increasing the availability of the lifestyle change program for adults with prediabetes or at high risk for type 2 diabetes.
Scaling the National Diabetes Prevention Program in Underserved Areas
This 5-year cooperative agreement began in September 2017. It funded 10 national organizations with affiliate program delivery sites in at least 3 states. Each national organization supported new CDC-recognized organizations in delivering the National DPP lifestyle change program in underserved areas. Each worked to enroll both general and priority populations in new or existing CDC-recognized organizations. Priority populations include:
- Medicare beneficiaries
- Men
- African American, Asian American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian, Alaska Native, and Pacific Islander people
- Noninstitutionalized people with visual impairments or physical disabilities
These populations have been under-enrolled in the lifestyle change program despite relatively higher rates of type 2 diabetes.
With CDC support, the National DPP delivery infrastructure expanded to help close the enrollment gap so that more participants in underserved areas:
- Successfully complete the CDC lifestyle change program.
- Achieve 5%–7% weight loss.
- Significantly reduce their risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
Strategies
Strategy 1: Increase Clinician Screening, Detection, and Referral of Adults with Prediabetes or at High Risk for Type 2 Diabetes to CDC-Recognized Organizations
Provide technical assistance to CDC-recognized organizations in underserved areas on how to help health care systems or health care providers implement policy and practice changes to identify people with prediabetes and refer them to the lifestyle change program. Learn more.
Strategy 2: Increase Awareness of Prediabetes and Enrollment in the Lifestyle Change Program
Use the CDC National DPP marketing portfolio and other materials as appropriate to recruit, engage, and enroll participants in underserved areas into the lifestyle change program. Learn more.
Strategy 3: Increase Retention Rates for Participants in the Lifestyle Change Program
Develop and adapt tools, materials, best practices, and advanced skills training for coaches to help CDC-recognized organizations support and retain participants in underserved areas in the lifestyle change program. Learn more.
Strategy 4: Increase Benefit Coverage for Participation in the Lifestyle Change Program
Activity 1: Work with employers and public and private payers to promote the lifestyle change program as a covered benefit for participants in underserved areas.
Activity 2: Provide technical assistance to CDC-recognized organizations in underserved areas on how to implement administrative systems required to bill and receive payment from payers.
Projected outcomes (evaluation in process)
In underserved areas:
- Increased the number of new organizations offering the lifestyle change program that achieve full CDC recognition.
- Increased the number of participants enrolled in the lifestyle change program who met CDC-recognition standards related to intensity and duration of participation.
- Increased the number of participants who have the lifestyle change program as a covered benefit.
- Increased the number of participants enrolled in the lifestyle change program who achieve the minimum 5% weight loss goal.
- Decreased the incidence of type 2 diabetes in priority populations.