Diabetes prevention program offered in Fairbanks

October 13, 2017

Marmian Grimes

An 11-month program designed to help individuals lose weight and lower their risk for diabetes will be offered in Fairbanks, beginning Oct. 30.

Leslie Shallcross, an agent with the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service, will lead the  National Diabetes Prevention Program. She said the class will focus on weight loss, exercise and diet changes that have been shown to delay or prevent the onset of diabetes.

Weekly classes will meet Mondays from 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. through Dec. 18. Following a holiday break, classes will continue through February before becoming monthly and will meet until September.

Shallcross is a registered dietitian, and she received training at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide the program, which is for overweight individuals at risk for developing diabetes or who have a diagnosis of prediabetes. According to the CDC, one out of three American adults is prediabetic — and one in 10 has diabetes.

The class fee is $280, and seniors ages 60 or older get a $40 discount. Contact Shallcross at 907-474-2426 or lashallcross@alaska.edu by Oct. 27 to discuss whether this is the right program for you and to register. Classes will meet at Extension’s district office at 724 27th Ave., at the rear of the Fairbanks Community Food Bank building.

ADDITIONAL CONTACT: Debbie Carter, 907-474-5406, dscarter@alaska.edu