An Examination of Gender Differences in the National Diabetes Prevention Program's Lifestyle Change Program

The purpose of the study was to examine how gender was related to enrollment and number of sessions attended in the National Diabetes Prevention Program's Lifestyle Change Program (DPP LCP).

To better understand program uptake, a population of those who would be eligible for the LCP was compared to those who enrolled. Estimates of those eligible were computed using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, whereas enrollment and sessions attended were computed using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Diabetes Prevention Recognition Program.

Results revealed that although similar numbers of males and females were eligible for the program, only 39 321 males versus 121 007 females had enrolled in the National DPP LCP by the end of 2017 (odds ratio = 3.20; 95% CI, 3.17-3.24). The gender differences persisted even when stratifying by age or race/ethnicity. In contrast, no significant gender differences were found between the average number of sessions attended for males (14.0) and females (13.8).

Results of the study can help inform efforts to market and tailor programs to appeal more directly to men and other groups that are underrepresented in the National DPP LCP.