CDC Features

CDC Features

Power to Prevent: Helping African Americans Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

"Power to Prevent: A Family Lifestyle Approach to Diabetes" helps African Americans learn how to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes through physical activity and making healthy food choices.

February is Black History Month. This is a time set aside to commemorate African Americans who have made contributions to society, whether they are world renowned figures, family members or people from your community. It is also a time to remember what health concerns and conditions your family has faced, such as diabetes.

Family history is closely associated with developing diabetes later in life. This is especially true in the African-American community since approximately 13% of African Americans over the age of 20 is living with diabetes.[1] And the numbers are still rising! Maybe you have diabetes and are worried about your family members developing the disease too. It is estimated that of people born today, 1 in 3 will develop diabetes in his or her lifetime, unless something changes.[2]

Diabetes is a serious problem within the African-American community, but there is good news. A study, the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), proved that type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed in those at high risk for the disease.

How to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

Photo: prepaiing a healthy salad The National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) – a joint initiative between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health – has developed a curriculum, Power to Prevent: A Family Lifestyle Approach to Diabetes Prevention, to help African Americans learn how to apply type 2 diabetes prevention strategies in their own communities. Power to Prevent includes 12 effective, step-by-step lesson plans to help people take control of their eating habits and engage in a more physically active lifestyle. Although this curriculum was developed with African Americans in mind, it can be used by anyone interested in learning about type 2 diabetes prevention.

In the 2002 findings of the Diabetes Prevention Program study, scientists found that people can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes by losing some weight (5–7 percent of their weight), making healthy food choices (consuming less fat and fewer calories), and participating in physical activity (such as, 30 minutes of brisk walking, 5 days a week).

Diabetes Education and Resources

The NDEP offers a wide range of resources that provide the foundation for conducting outreach activities in communities across the country. To help fulfill its mission of changing the way diabetes is treated, the NDEP has created awareness campaigns to spread the good news about diabetes prevention and control. Each campaign provides a wealth of tools—brochures, tip sheets, provider kits, public service advertising, and more—that you can use to reach out to people with diabetes, people at risk, or healthcare professionals.

Power to Prevent is a companion piece to the NDEP Small Steps. Big Rewards. Prevent type 2 Diabetes ( 2 pages, 1.08 MB) campaign. The key theme of this campaign is that people at risk for type 2 diabetes can reap big rewards – such as the delay or prevention of type 2 diabetes and its complications – by taking small steps to implement healthy lifestyle behaviors. For more information on Power to Prevent: A Family Lifestyle Approach to Diabetes Prevention, please contact the CDC National Diabetes Education Program by e-mail (CDCINFO@cdc.gov) or call 800-232-4636. To learn more about diabetes or to access free diabetes resources, visit www.ndep.nih.gov or call 1-888-693-NDEP (6337).

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National diabetes fact sheet: general information and national estimates on diabetes in the United States, 2007. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008.
Narayan KM, Boyle JP, Thompson TJ, Sorensen SW, Williamson DF. Lifetime risk for diabetes mellitus in the United States. JAMA. 2003;290:1884–90.