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CDC Gives Shout Out to Three Digital Prevention Programs for Type 2 Diabetes

Updated: 8/14/21 7:00 amPublished: 3/20/15

Twitter Summary: .@CDCgov officially recognizes three digital health platforms for #type2 diabetes prevention, better access, + lower costs

The CDC has officially recognized three digital versions of the National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) for the prevention of type 2 diabetes: DPS Health, Noom Health, and Omada Health. This recent announcement is a major victory for digital health: previously, the CDC only recognized in-person versions of the program. Indeed, Omada Health CEO Mr. Sean Duffy told us that 2015 “marks an incredible tipping point” for online versions of the NDPP.

The NDPP focuses on one-on-one coaching and intensive lifestyle intervention therapy for the prevention of type 2 diabetes, including counseling and motivational support on eating healthily, physical activity, and behavior modification. For more information on the National Diabetes Prevention Program, please see this page.

DPS Health, Noom Health, and Omada Health all offer the same educational curriculum as the NDPP study, but in an online format. Many insurance companies cover these programs, and you can find more information about their unique takes on the NDPP at the above websites. These digital versions are excellent options for those who live far away from NDPP locations or who prefer the anonymity and convenience of doing the program online.

Programs like these are needed more than ever, given the 87 million Americans with prediabetes, 90% of whom don’t know they have it. Moving forward, we hope to see more pilots and new diabetes prevention approaches, whether online or in-person. As Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos says in the new book Bold, “I think the amount of useful invention you do is directly proportional to the number of experiments you can run per week per month per year.” Are we doing enough experiments in diabetes prevention? To date, it has not always felt like it, but this recent news is an exciting step in the right direction. –AB/AJW

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