Giving Compass' Take:

• This Social Programs That Work report shares research conducted around a community-based lifestyle weight-loss program for overweight or obese adults with pre-diabetes: The results were promising.

• What can research like this tell us about the power of community-oriented programs in the healthcare space? Should more donor dollars be devoted to them?

• Here's more on how we can improve access to diabetes care worldwide.

Healthy Living Partnerships to Prevent Diabetes (HELP PD) is a community-based lifestyle weight-loss program designed for overweight or obese adults with prediabetes.1 The goal is for participants to lose 5-7% of their body weight over six months – through increased physical activity (at least 180 minutes/week) and limited caloric intake (approximately 1,500 calories/day) – and to maintain the weight loss for an additional 18 months.

Two years after random assignment:

7.5-pound reduction in body weight.
4% reduction in fasting blood glucose (a test used to diagnose prediabetes and diabetes).
A promising but not yet definitive reduction in incidence of diabetes – from 8% to 3%.

Two years after random assignment, a 7.5-pound reduction in body weight, a 4% decrease in fasting blood glucose (a test used to diagnose prediabetes and diabetes), and a promising but not yet definitive reduction in incidence of diabetes – from 8% to 3%.

Read the full article about partnerships to prevent diabetes at Social Programs That Work.