Time for a Change?: Diabetes-Education Programs Focus on More Exercise, Better Food Choices
By Mary Jean Porter, The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.
Jan. 3–Pueblo’s high incidence of Type 2 diabetes has inspired several programs to help people predisposed to the illness make lifestyle changes.
Three such programs are sponsored by Colorado State University-Pueblo in cooperation with the Pueblo Community Diabetes Project, and they focus on techniques for developing a healthier lifestyle that include wiser food choices and increased exercise.
Twelve different classes in the three programs will start Monday and will meet at various locations in the community. They are free to the public.
Carol Foust, chairwoman of the Exercise Science Health Promotion and Recreation department at CSU-Pueblo, said the department has co-sponsored the diabetes-prevention classes for about two years. The university is involved, she said, “because diabetes is a significant health problem in the community and part of our charge at the university is to provide community service.”
The programs use the Lifestyle Balance curriculum that was developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Two are for adults and a new one is geared toward teens 13 to 18 years old.
The 18-week Healthy Body, Healthy Spirit program is aimed at adults who are at risk for and/or predisposed to Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease and who are seeking a fit mind and body. Participants learn to balance nutrition and exercise, and an exercise class that’s part of the program is open to the community as well.
“We wanted people to be able to invite their friends to exercise with them,” Foust said.
Healthy Body, Healthy Spirit meets at local churches and has a spiritual component, according to instructor Stephanie Arellano. Classes begin and end with prayer, and Scriptures that follow the session’s theme are read, but there is no biblical teaching, Arellano said. Call 549-2855 to register or for more information. Registration deadline is today but interested people may register after the deadline, Foust said.
The other adult program, which meets for 16 weeks, is taught by Barbara Jackson. Several classes meet at Occhiato Center at CSU-Pueblo and one class meets at The Pueblo Chieftain.
Participants are screened at the beginning and if they are at an “unhealthy” weight as determined by body-mass index, they are urged to aim for a 5 to 7 percent weight loss. For a 200-pound person, a 5 percent loss equals just 10 pounds but can result in easier breathing and lower blood pressure, Jackson said.
“We aren’t looking for people to lose huge amounts,” she said. “It is geared to developing new patterns that will sustain health and help you reach your health potential.”
A modest weight loss coupled with 2 hours of activity a week – “Walking,” Jackson said, “not getting a gym membership, not training for marathons, but walking” – can provide big benefits.
“The muscles of locomotion and posture, the large muscle groups, are what regulate blood sugar.”
Participants are asked to keep a food diary listing what and how much they eat, and they are instructed to measure their food. They receive information about the nutrients they are eating – the amount of fat, protein, carbohydrate, vitamins and minerals – as well as the calories.
“From that, we target areas for improvement,” Jackson said. One of these is reducing the amount of fat consumed and another is learning to recognize and eat nutritious carbohydrates.
“It’s really important for the prediabetic not to eliminate carbs,” Jackson said. “Look for healthy ones like complex sugars, whole grains. You get fiber from these which will make you feel full as well as aid in digestion.”
Portion size also is addressed and participants are given tools to help them when dining out or eating fast food.
“I really stress these as being strategies you take with you into the rest of your life,” Jackson said. “We’re looking at ways that will work for individuals. Everybody has to come up with their own strategies. Because we weigh every week, someone can look back and say, ‘What did I do that worked, because I lost 2 pounds?’ “
To register or for more information, call Jackson at 549-2855 or e-mail her at barbara.jackson@colostate-pueblo.edu.
The third program, obesity prevention for teens, also will focus on techniques to develop healthier lifestyles through increased physical activity and improved diet. It is hoped that the teens enrolled will lose weight.
The increasing number of obese teenagers is the main reason for the new program. A caregiver such as a parent or grandparent is required to participate with the teen because young people don’t eat in isolation and they don’t make all of their own food choices.
“People learn lifestyle habits early,” Foust said. “If you can modify them (habits) early, if you can reach the whole family, it can make a difference. Even small changes can make a difference.”
The 16-week program for teens will meet once a week at CSU-Pueblo. To register, call 549-2855.
Foust said all the programs are focused on supporting participants and none of them is punitive in nature.
“We’ve had good success with people who are ready to change,” she said.
Funding for the different programs comes from several sources, including the Pueblo Community Diabetes Project, Caring for Colorado Foundation, and a Health Disparities grant from Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
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Healthful habits
* Don’t skip meals. * Eat plenty of fiber – it makes you feel full and it aids in digestion. * Drink plenty of water. * Keep a big bowl of fruit on the counter instead of a big tray of cookies. * Keep healthful snacks at eye level in the refrigerator so you see them when you open the door. * Choose a bagel instead of a doughnut (a glazed doughnut has 29 grams of fat) at the next staff meeting or conference break. * Walk often. The muscles of locomotion and posture regulate blood sugar. * Make small steps or changes over time. Achieve some success so you can stick to your new healthful habits. * – Source: Barbara Jackson
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Copyright (c) 2007, The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.
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