Diabetes Prevention Program Comes to Weber County

The path to diabetes is marked with increased blood sugars,  cholesterol and high blood pressure. If you've seen these warning signs, a new program coming to the Ogden area can help you start a plan to turn your health around.

Utah will soon be one of many states to deliver the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program, thanks to Stephanie Norton-Bredt. Stephanie is originally from Seattle, where she spent six years working in diabetes prevention education.

Over 86 million Americans are prediabetic, 9 out of 10 people who are prediabetic don’t know it. The YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program was created to help those adults that are at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes. It reduces their risk for developing diabetes by taking the steps needed in order to improve their overall health and well-being. 

YMCA's Diabetes Prevention Program is a year long program; beginning with 16 weekly sessions and then moving into one session a month for the remainder of the year. The goals of the program are: 

• To reduce body weight by 7% 
• To increase physical activity to 150 minutes per week 

In order to be eligible for the program, the individual must: 

• Be 18 years or older 
• Be overweight (BMI ≥ 25) 
• At risk for or have been diagnosed with prediabetes 
• Be ready for change! 

The YMCA received a support grant from the Weber-Morgan Health Department in order to help off-set initial start-up costs and provide the program free of charge to the first 13-15 participants. The first class is a set to begin May 27, 2016. In the future, the program will be based off of an individual’s income. 

Stephanie hopes to incorporate her experience into developing a strong Diabetes Prevention Program that will thrive within our community. Weber County has a large Latino population and she hopes to recruit Spanish speaking individuals to be trained as a lifestyle coach so that YMCA can offer the program in both English and Spanish.  

Overall, Stephanie hopes to reduce rates of diabetes here in the Weber-Morgan area. By doing so, she also hopes to allow individuals to live a healthier and better quality of life; as well as, to allow the community to build a stronger connection with the YMCA’s mission. If the program is successful enough, Stephanie hopes to implement the Diabetes Prevention Program statewide.  

If you are interested in more information for you or a loved one and would like to sign up for the upcoming program, please call Stephanie Norton-Bredl at 801-839-3380. The first Diabetes Prevention Program is beginning in April for Salt Lake City and May for Weber-Morgan residents. 

Weber-Morgan Nutritionists

March is National Nutrition Month! In order to highlight this event, we would like to share with our community information about our own local nutritionists. Weber-Morgan Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program employs multiple nutritionists who serve our community’s low-income families about nutrition and healthy lifestyles.

WIC is surrounded with networks of support for individuals and families in need. WIC focuses on providing nutrition counseling to pregnant/postpartum moms and children under the age of five, breast feeding support, vouchers for healthy foods, and nutrition training to those individuals that live within Weber or Morgan County.

A few of the nutritionists’ favorite parts about their jobs are: following up with participants to see if they are using the tools from their initial visits; educating the public; helping new moms develop the confidence needed in order to breast feed, and hearing stories how even the children are using the knowledge they gained in the program to remind their parents about what they should be eating.

Here is some advice the nutritionists have provided for how a family can develop a healthy diet:

•          Use myplate (www.choosemyplate.gov)
•          Develop proper meal planning
•          Develop a budget and stick to it
•          Focus on the basics  
•          Take one step at a time - Small changes everyday ends up to be a big reward.

In order to be eligible for the Weber-Morgan WIC program, you need to meet all of the following requirements:

     1. Live within Weber or Morgan County

     2. Fit into one of these categories

• Pregnant woman 
• Woman who has had a baby in the past 6 months 
• Woman who has had a miscarriage in the past 6 months 
• Breastfeeding woman of an infant one year old or younger 
• Infants and Children less than 5 years old 

     3. Need WIC foods to be healthy 

     4. Have a family income (before taxes) not more than the restricted guidelines

Weber County’s WIC Office is located in the Weber-Morgan Health Annex at 455 23^rd St Ogden, UT 84401

Office Hours are:

·         Monday 8 am to 5 pm

·         Tuesday 8 am to 6:30 pm

·         Wednesday 8 am to 6:30 pm

·         Thursday 8 am to 5 pm

·         Friday 7:30 am to 3:30 pm

For more information, questions, or to apply for the WIC program call (801) 399-7200 or visit http://www1.co.weber.ut.us/health/wic.php

We would like to thank Jaylynn Skidmore, Jennifer Weight, Janet Jarnagin, Norma Patino, Laura Jaruis, Kelsie Maw, and Jarelyn Cox for all that they do within our community to help improve the health and well being of others.