Pre-Diabetes Lifestyle Prevention Program to Decrease Development of Diabetes in Adults

This pilot quality improvement project for prediabetes adult patients in the family practice setting investigated if a lifestyle change intervention compared to no lifestyle intervention decreased hemoglobin A1C and body mass index and development of type 2 diabetes in three months. Approximately 86 million, a third of the United States population, are diagnosed with prediabetes and are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Lifestyle interventions, introduced in the primary care setting when the patient is identified to be at risk for developing diabetes, can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and decrease hemoglobin A1C. The project included fifteen participants in a Missouri primary care setting. The evidence based practice intervention was a three-month lifestyle intervention based on motivational interviewing and educational handouts that was provided to prediabetes patients by the healthcare provider. The primary outcome measured was pre and post intervention hemoglobin A1C. Secondary outcome measures included pre and post body mass index and nutrition and activity logs at three months. The findings were a decrease in hemoglobin A1C in one patient and body mass index by three participants. The lifestyle change initiative for adults with prediabetes will impact society by providing an accessible intervention program that can be utilized by primary care providers to increase patient’s self-care and decrease development of type 2 diabetes