Adapting the Diabetes Prevention Program lifestyle intervention for delivery in the community: the YMCA model

The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) demonstrated that a structured diet and physical activity intervention that achieves and maintains modest weight loss for overweight adults with impaired glucose tolerance can significantly reduce the development of diabetes. Although tens of millions of American adults could benefit from access to the DPP lifestyle intervention, there currently is no available model for nationwide dissemination of this highly beneficial and cost-effective approach to diabetes prevention. In this article, the authors describe the evolution of adaptations to improve DPP lifestyle intervention implementation and dissemination by a strong community partner, the YMCA. They also provide information about early field research and an ongoing clinical trial that will provide information about the feasibility and effectiveness of applying this new model on a national scale.