Announced in a press release, the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) is offering a free virtual diabetes prevention program known as #PreventDiabetes to Wyoming residents at risk of the disease.

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Amber Nolte, chronic disease prevention program manager with the WDH, said:

"One in three American adults has prediabetes and, according to recent data, 35,000 people in Wyoming have been told they have prediabetes. Our goal is to help ensure making healthy choices can be easy for Wyoming residents...We know that prediabetes can lead to heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes, which is the most common form of diabetes. Unfortunately, most people with prediabetes don’t realize it so we want to help them learn if they are at risk and then give them the tools to do something about it."

Prediabetes is when a person’s sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.

Diabetes is currently the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, with 7.8% of Wyomingites reported being diabetic in 2019, the fourth lowest state.

The year-long program includes educational webinars, coaching, progress tracking, cash incentives for weight loss, exercise plans, a certified diabetes lifestyle coach, and meal plans.

Enrollment in the program is free for any Wyoming resident over the age of 18 who is at risk for developing type 2 diabetes, which include being 45 or older, a family history of type 2 diabetes, a history of gestational diabetes, being overweight or obese, having high blood pressure, or having high cholesterol.

According to data from the WDH, in 2015, 65% of adults in Wyoming were overweight or obese, in 2014, 30% had high blood pressure, and in 2016, 11% of children in the state were overweight or obese.

Kim Deti, Public Information Officer for the WDH, said the initial one year budget for the contract they have with incentaHEALTH, a Colorado-based digital health company, for the program is $60,000.

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