By Sherry Larson

People’s Defender

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month and it is time to wear the blue circle of support. The Adams-Brown Diabetes Education Coalition (ABDEC) is in its 20th year. Megan Rowe, Dietician at The Adams County Regional Medical Center; Sue Basta, RN and Coordinator of the Adams-Brown Diabetes Education; Pam Williams, Director of Nursing and Deputy Health Commissioner for Brown County Health Department; Debbie Ryan of Creating Healthy Communities, and retired nurses Bev Mathias, and Sharon Ashley met with The Defender to discuss diabetes prevention and education. The Coalition partners with ACRMC, County Health Departments, GE, ABCAP, Health Source of Ohio, UC-Health, and Mercy Health. Many supporters provide funding, including the Marshall University Center for Rural Health/Appalachia Diabetes Network, the Brown County Health and Wellness Coalition, UC_Health, Adams County Health and Wellness Coalition, GE-Peebles, and Adams County Creating Healthy Communities.

These ladies know that the more mindful and informed you are about prediabetes and diabetes, the better equipped you will be to advocate and care for yourself. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that one out of every three American adults have prediabetes, and most are unaware. Prediabetes considerably raises your risk of Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

“We want people to be better able to self-manage their diabetes, but there are many system barriers involved at the same time,” said Basta. In 2003, one of the most significant barriers noted was the lack of available diabetes education in Adams and Brown counties. Basta said, “We are more focused on education.” The Coalition offers outreach programs for prevention and education on diabetes. The group meets once a month on the first Wednesday of the month. Since the pandemic, those meetings have been held via Zoom.

Initially, their funding came from The Ohio Department of Health out of a cardiovascular grant because diabetes is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease. A few years later, they learned about a Diabetes Coalition network through Marshall University’s Center for Rural Health. They had funding available for Appalachian counties – Adams and Brown were two of those. Marshall University has been an ongoing support.

Know your numbers! Visit www.cdc.gov/diabetes/prevention/lifestyle-program and take the Prediabetes Risk Test. According the ABDEC, you may have prediabetes or be at risk for Type 2 Diabetes if you are 45 years of age or older, overweight with a body mass index of greater than 24, have a family history of Type 2 Diabetes, are physically active less than three times per week, have had gestational diabetes or given birth to a baby that weighed more than 9 pounds, have an AIC of 5.7-6.4% or a fasting blood sugar of 100-125 mg/dL.

One program the Coalition offers is the Prevent T2 Diabetes Prevention Program. These classes provide free virtual small-group education for prediabetics. It is a year-long program that provides group support during 16 weekly meetings and six monthly follow-up meetings. Basta explained that the program is through the (CDC) and is “evidence-based and taught with a curriculum.”

Since moving the class to Zoom, Basta and Rowe believe class participation has stayed the same. Rowe said the virtual classes did not affect participants’ motivation, and the class retention rate was reasonable. Class members are not only from Adams and Brown counties but also from other surrounding areas.

Prevent T2 aims to teach participants to make healthy food choices and increase physical activity. Following the program, they can lose 5 to 7% of their body weight during this year-long course. These lifestyle changes can cut the risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes by more than half. Rowe shared the group has seen great results when following the program, such as lowered A1C numbers and participants coming off blood pressure and cholesterol medications. She said, “It’s an overall class that teaches not just about diabetes – it talks about stress management, exercise, and sleep.” She explained that they focus on setting small obtainable goals; if they aren’t met, they want to understand why. Basta piggybacked, “Much of the focus is on changing habits, habit formation, health promotion and education.”

The Brown County Health Department offers “Sugar Helpers.” This group of individuals with diabetes meets monthly from March to November. Williams said she is working with a small group and covers topics of their interests. This year, they focused heavily on reading food labels and how to capture carbs. A guest speaker presents at each meeting.

Brown County formerly held a free Annual Diabetes Celebration in October that has been on hold since COVID. The Celebration included vendors, speakers, presentations, and a diabetic-friendly meal. They are considering a spring event for next year.

The coaches for these programs are volunteers. They are committed to the prevention and education of diabetes and expect partakers to make a serious commitment. Ryan said of Prevent T2, “It’s a testimony to the program. When they start the program, they stay the whole year.”

Living with diabetes presents challenges. Ashley said, “It’s really about taking responsibility for self-health.” There are free local resources to help folks learn better ways to manage their health. November is designated for diabetes awareness, but educating and advocating all year is imperative. With continued support and sharing of ideas, we can promote healthy lifestyles.

Follow and like ABDEC on Facebook at https://tinyurl.com/47rff7jy for weekly updates. For more information about “Sugar Helpers,” contact the Brown County Health Department at 937-378-6892. Call Megan Rowe at ACRMC at (937) 386-3864 for information regarding the Prevent T2 Diabetes Program.