From Programs to Policy and Back Again: The Push and Pull of Realizing Type 2 Diabetes Prevention on a National Scale

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 1.9 million Americans develop diabetes yearly; most of them have type 2 diabetes, and almost one-third remain undiagnosed for several years. The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) provided strong evidence that lifestyle behavioral counseling interventions can prevent or delay about half of these new cases. Unfortunately, 15 years after the DPP, most people at high risk for developing diabetes have not been offered such an intervention. This gap separates millions of high-risk Americans from the most evidence-based solution currently known to prevent type 2 diabetes. Here, Ackermann examines the success of National DPP's scale-up since 2010.