FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

                                                                                                                February 15, 2008

                                                                                                                Peggy Stebbins, 444-2135

   A new program that is proven to reduce the risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease is now accepting participant referrals.

   The Inch by Inch program, offered by St. Peter’s Hospital in collaboration with the Lewis and Clark City-County Health Department, is a 16-week course of nutrition counseling and physical activity coaching for adults identified as being at risk of developing type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease. 

   The program is funded through a grant from the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. Inch by Inch is based on several studies that have shown that intensive lifestyle changes reduce the incidence of diabetes in persons at risk of developing the disease.

   To be eligible, participants must have a referral from their physician, and be ready to commit to a 16-week series of classes, which includes keeping a daily log of food intake and physical activity (with a goal of spending 150 minutes a week engaged in moderate physical activity). After the core program is completed, there will be monthly follow-up with participants for six months. Participants must also meet certain medical eligibility criteria, such as being overweight, elevated blood pressure, a history of gestational diabetes or lipid disorder.

   “People who lose seven percent of their body weight, and maintain that weight loss, and integrate 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week into their lives can reduce the risk of developing diabetes by 58 percent. The Inch by Inch program will work with participants to help them make and maintain these changes,” says Lifestyle Coach Yvonne Tapper-Gardzina, a registered dietitian at St. Peter’s Hospital.

   Here in Montana, The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that in 2005 roughly 44,000 (5.4 percent) of adults had been diagnosed with diabetes.  About 60 percent of adult Montanans are overweight or obese, and 19 percent of Montana adults reported engaging in no leisure-time physical activity (2004 statistics). “We are seeing great increases in the incidence of diabetes among both children and adults across the country,” says Melanie Reynolds, Health Officer at Lewis and Clark City-County Health Department. “Diabetes and heart disease can be prevented with healthier eating habits and becoming more active. The Inch by Inch program offers participants an incredible opportunity to get coaching and education to develop and maintain healthy habits.”

   “St Peter’s is excited to be able to offer this program to the community,” says Tapper-Gardzina. We’ll be offering classes and access to workout equipment at the hospital. The health department is providing community education and space for classes and individual consultations, and the Helena YMCA is donating memberships for eligible participants, as well as meeting space for classes. We want this program to be available to a wide range of participants. For the first grant period, we hope to see 100 participants complete the program. We will enroll eligible participants on a first-come, first-serve basis.”

   For more information about the Inch by Inch program, contact Tapper-Gardzina at 444-2386.

   This project is funded, in part or in whole, under a contract with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. The statements herein do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Department.

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