Diabetes Prevention Program community outreach: perspectives on lifestyle training and translation.

Abstract

The gap between what is known from clinical efficacy research and the systematic community translation of diabetes prevention programs is narrowing. During the past 5 years, numerous randomized and nonrandomized dissemination studies have evaluated the modified delivery of structured Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) interventions in diverse real-world settings. Programs of sufficient dose and duration, implemented with fidelity, have reported weight losses in the range of 4%-7% with associated improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors at 6 and 12 months from baseline. The current article describes some of the experiences and perspectives of a team of University of Pittsburgh researchers as they have engaged in these efforts.