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Workplace lifestyle intervention effective for preventing diabetes
A 16-week group-based intervention adapted from the Diabetes Prevention Program and held at the workplace was effective in improving metabolic and behavioral risk factors among adults with diabetes, according to recent findings.
“The development of type 2 diabetes among those at high risk can be delayed, and perhaps prevented, through lifestyle modification,” Carla Miller, PhD, RD, professor of human nutrition at Ohio State University, told Endocrine Today. “Weight loss, through a healthy diet and greater physical activity, is the most effective approach for reducing one’s risk. The worksite can be an effective avenue for implementing lifestyle programs.”
Carla Miller
Miller and colleagues evaluated 69 adults with prediabetes who were randomly assigned to a 16-week lifestyle intervention (n = 35) or usual care (n = 34) to determine the effect of the intervention on metabolic and behavioral risk factors compared with usual care.
The lifestyle intervention focused on reducing calories and fat to achieve weight loss, and participants met in groups for 60 minutes weekly during lunch or after work. The usual-care group served as controls and received care from their providers and a manual developed by the National Diabetes Education Program with strategies for self-regulated weight loss.
Compared with controls, the intervention group had greater reductions in waist circumference, fasting glucose, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (all P < .025); total cholesterol also declined more in the intervention group (P = .01).
After intervention, the intervention group saw a significantly decreased total energy intake (P < .001); reduced intake of total fats, saturated fat and trans fats; and increased intakes of carbohydrates and dietary fiber (all P < .01) compared with controls.
No significant differences were found at the 3-month follow-up for dietary intake or physical activity between the groups.
After intervention, 32.4% of the intervention group achieved 7% or more weight loss compared with 2.9% of controls (P = .003).
“Worksites can be effective settings for offering health promotion programs to employees; however, few studies have evaluated the impact of the [Diabetes Prevention Program] intervention at the worksite,” the researchers wrote. “Our study contributes to the limited evidence and demonstrates, through a randomized design, the feasibility and efficacy of the group-based [Diabetes Prevention Program] intervention in facilitating improvement in lifestyle behaviors, weight control and reduction in metabolic risk for type 2 diabetes among university employees with prediabetes.” – by Amber Cox
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.