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PORTLAND, Maine

Ron Deprez and Henry Stabler complete evaluation of diabetes prevention and management program in rural Maine

Ronald Deprez, Ph.D., M.P.H., director of research programs in the School of Community and Population Health (SCPH), and Henry Stabler, M.P.H., research associate for the Center for Community and Public Health, recently completed their final evaluation report of the Downeast Community Health Regional Partnership鈥檚 (DCHRP) Type II Diabetes Prevention and Management Program.

The DCHRP is a consortium of community organizations, primary care providers, hospitals, local residents and an academic institution. It aims to reduce the prevalence of chronic health conditions and improve the care management for people diagnosed with these conditions in Hancock County, Maine.

The DCHRP鈥檚 Type II Diabetes Prevention and Management program was funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration. Deprez and Stabler evaluated its effectiveness by examining qualitative and quantitative information obtained on program implementation, participants, and staff.

Their evaluation revealed that the program had demonstrable, positive impacts on the health of Hancock County residents with symptoms of pre-diabetes. For instance, those who completed the experienced an average weight loss of 7.1% of their body weight, and 61% of those who completed the diabetes management component improved their hemoglobin A1C levels.

Deprez and Stabler will present these findings at the 2015 annual meeting of the American Public Health Association in November. In addition, the evaluation team is drafting a manuscript for the publication of these results.

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