Making lifestyle changes is an important part of improving personal health and wellbeing. To provide help and support in doing that, a free year-long program is being offered to prediabetic island residents by faculty at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy (DKICP). An informational meeting will be held Monday, March 21 at 4 p.m. at DKICP in Hale Kihoʻihoʻi, Classroom A, and is open to the public.
The program will be facilitated by two practicing pharmacists and DKICP assistant professors, Dr. Aryn Meguro and Dr. Bryce Fukunaga. Both are also lifestyle coaches who are certified through the American Association of Diabetes Educators.
“This program was developed based on research done at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its goal is to help people who are prediabetic, or those who think they might be, to learn how to choose healthier foods, better manage stress and to incorporate exercise into their lives,” Meguro explained. “Often, people need help to do that, and that’s what we, as lifestyle coaches, can provide. Other program participants can also be important sources of support.”
The first six months of the program is more intense, Fukunaga added.
“We start with weekly in-person meetings to provide information and lay the groundwork for making lifestyle changes. Because weight loss is important in improving overall health of people with prediabetes, a program goal for participants is to lose five to seven percent of their body weight in that first six months. In the second half of the program, we transition to meeting monthly and helping participants learn how to maintain healthier habits.
“On March 21, we will provide a prediabetes risk test so anyone who is interested can come to find out if they are eligible for the program,” Fukunaga said. All meetings will be held on campus in Hilo.
To sign up for the March 21 meeting, complete the registration at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf_HnJAYLma3yGHKnvC1NYTKpiVC74_T2u2Yfk3BBRBwLfbEA/viewform or send an email to Meguro at arynm@hawaii.edu. Attendees need to show proof of COVID vaccinations or a negative test result.