Less is More with PREVENT T2 Program at Naval Hospital Bremerton

Photo By Douglas Stutz | Naval Hospital Bremerton's (NHB) Health Promotion and Wellness Department offers PREVENT T2, developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to specifically helps those in need make and maintain lifestyle changes such as losing weight, eating healthy and just being more active, whether they are at risk for prediabetes/diabetes or simply want to improve their health. NHB is the only naval hospital to be recognized by the CDC to facilitate PREVENT T2 (Courtesy CDC photo).  

BREMERTON , WA, UNITED STATES

03.20.2018

Story by Douglas Stutz    

Naval Hospital Bremerton/Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Bremerton

For Jerry Crowley, deciding to enroll in the PREVENT T2 program has noticeably meant cinching his belt into holes he admits not using in years.

“My pants have gone from a size 46 to 44 to 42 to 38. I’m wearing clothes I haven’t worn in 20 years. I got people coming up to me asking, ‘are you losing weight?’ This course has taught me the importance of nutrition, knowing what I eat and really how to exercise. That was something I never really did. I use to be a couch potato with a bag of chips. Not anymore. My blood pressure is down. My clothes fit. All because of being here,” said Crowley.

It was back in January when Naval Hospital Bremerton’s Health Promotion and Wellness team posed a straightforward question to those at risk for diabetes.

“Are you willing to devote just 24 hours for a lifetime of better health?”

For those that replied with a ‘yes’ and faced the possibility – and associated consequences – of diabetes, Health Promotion and Wellness offered them the PREVENT T2 program, specifically designed for people with pre-diabetes, a history of gestational diabetes, and at risk for developing diabetes.

According to Trish Skinner, NHB’s Health Promotion and Wellness Department Health Educator, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed PREVENT T2 to specifically helps those in need make and maintain lifestyle changes such as losing weight, eating healthy and just being more active, whether they are at risk for prediabetes/diabetes or simply want to improve their health.

“PREVENT T2 is evidence based and proven to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes,” said Skinner.

There are 16 weekly one-hour sessions, followed by six to eight monthly sessions that focus on healthy lifestyle changes such as healthy eating and being physically active.

Collectively, as well as individually, the group has made a number of accomplishments. For them, less is equaling more.

“The group has lost over 60 pounds in the past12 weeks, blood pressure levels are lower, A1C tests – which measure average blood glucose during the past few months – have also dropped significantly. Resting heart rates are down. When we went over all the progress that they have made so far, I was so thrilled for them. I had goosebumps I was so proud of what they’ve done,” said Skinner, noting that the class members are all improving in incorporating exercise into their daily routine, focusing on nutritional balance with meals, and including mental and physical behavioral changes in their lifestyle.

Willie Slusarski credits the course with increasing his awareness of what is he doing – and not doing – on a daily basis regarding eating habits, exercise routine, and lifestyle decision making.

“I was heading straight for diabetes. Since enrolling in PREVENT T2, I have reversed that direction. Tracking weekly what we’re doing and being able to see actual results is gratifying. I feel that I am able to take control over areas in my life. For example, instead of continuing to gaining weight, this program has helped me get back and go in the other direction and lose weight,” said Slusarski,

The collective successes by program participants like Crowley and Slusarski will also be used to quantify the necessary criteria in being acknowledged by CDC as an approved location to offer PREVENT T2 or any national diabetes prevention program.

“We are the only naval hospital to be recognized by the CDC to facilitate PREVENT T2,” explained Skinner, citing that while there are other similar prevention programs deployed at other Navy Military Treatment Facilities, NHB currently offers the only sanctioned program.

A 2017 report released by the CDC states that more than 100 million U.S. adults are now living with diabetes or pre-diabetes.

Diabetes is a group of diseases that are the result of too much sugar in the blood or high blood glucose. The most common types are Type 2 diabetes which is a chronic condition that impacts the way the body processes blood sugar and Type 1 diabetes, also chronic, in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin. Prediabetes is another condition in which the blood sugar is high, but not high enough to be Type 2 diabetes. There is also gestational diabetes which is high blood sugar affecting pregnant women.

“Awareness is important because approximately 10 percent of the United States population has diabetes. Those over age 65 have the highest rate. There’s also another third of the U.S. population with pre-diabetes, with nine out of ten are unaware of their condition,” Skinner said, adding that the risk of death for adults with diabetes is 50 percent higher than adults without diabetes.

Those with prediabetes are at a higher risk to develop type 2 diabetes within five years if they do not lose weight or engage in some sort of moderate physical activity. Type 2 diabetes can lead to heart attack, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, and/or loss of toes, feet or legs if not adequately controlled.

Statistical evidence notes that some of the main risk factors of diabetes include poor diet and nutrition, physical inactivity, tobacco consumption and harmful use of alcohol. Those factors make diabetes the ninth leading cause of death amongst women globally, with 2.1 million deaths each year.

PREVENT T2 is offered for all eligible beneficiaries by NHB Health and Wellness Department. To learn more about the program and to determine eligibility, contact Trish Skinner at 360-475-5212. Those interested in registering for the PREVENT T2 program should talk with their primary care manager, contact Health Promotion and Wellness at 360-475-4541, or call Puget Sound Military Appointment Center at 1-800-404-4506.

• Date Taken: 03.20.2018
• Date Posted: 03.26.2018 21:24
• Story ID: 270686
• Location: BREMERTON , WA, US