Pennsylvania Diabetes Prevention Program Online Platform
Pennsylvania Department of Health is offering a software platform for National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) providers to deliver the National DPP online, as a private, secure experience. The National DPP is a lifestyle change program for those that are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. In the program, participants work with a Lifestyle Coach to learn how to:
- Eat healthy without giving up favorite foods;
- Become more physically active;
- Cope with stress;
- Deal with challenges that can make it difficult to choose healthy food, like when at a gathering or eating at a restaurant; and
- Stay on track toward goals and get back on track when straying away.
How the Pennsylvania DPP Online Platform Helps Providers
The Pennsylvania DPP online platform offers a solution to many barriers participants face when accessing the National DPP. It allows lifestyle coaches to reach a higher number of participants than they could reach through an in-person program; it removes the barrier of transportation or scheduling-conflicts for participants; and it permits on-demand scheduling that could lead to higher program retention and completion rates.
The online platform can be accessed via a website or an app, and it contains an engaging curriculum that includes 26 videos and lesson plans. It also allows monitoring of participants' progress online through meal tracking and exercise tracking, and it facilitates seamless communication between coaches and program participants, as well as between participants.
How the Pennsylvania DPP Online Platform Helps Participants
DPP is designed to help those with prediabetes or at risk for type 2 diabetes prevent or lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes through improved diet and moderate weight loss and weight management.
The online platform allows access to DPP through a private, secure experience that includes:
- 26 video lessons via mobile phone or computer over 12 months (weekly lessons for the first four months followed by monthly lessons);
- An online community of peers providing encouragement, creating accountability with the same goals and objectives;
- Access to community Lifestyle Coaches for active engagement;
- Meal photo-journaling, physical activity and weight loss tracking, and Lifestyle Coach customized feedback on progress.
Frequently Asked Questions
Provider FAQ
Is my organization eligible to provide National DPP through the online platform?
To be eligible to deliver the National DPP online through the platform, an organization must be recognized by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as an online provider. The Diabetes
Prevention Recognition Program (DPRP) Standards explain how an organization may apply for, earn, and maintain CDC recognition.
My organization is recognized by CDC as an online provider, who should I contact to apply to provide DPP through the platform?
Organizations interested in delivering the National DPP online through the platform should call the Diabetes Prevention and Control Program at 717-787-5876. If approved after completing an application, an automated email will be sent to sign up for an administrator account for each organization. The person holding the administrator account will have the capability to invite lifestyle coaches to sign up for an account on the platform.
How do I log in to the online platform?
You may login via a computer or phone app (iOS & Android) by accessing these links:
Is there training available for organizations providing online DPP through the platform?
Yes, all providers approved by the Department of Health to use the platform will be provided training on how to effectively use and deliver the National DPP online.
Participant FAQs
Am I eligible to participate in DPP?
To be eligible to participate in the National DPP, individuals:
- Must be 18 years or older.
- Must have a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or higher (23 or higher if Asian American).
- Cannot have been diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
- Cannot be pregnant.
- Meets one of the following criteria:
- a. A blood test result within the past year indicating one of the following:
- Hemoglobin A1C: 5.7–6.4%;
- Fasting plasma glucose: 110–125 mg/dL;
- 2-hour plasma glucose (after a 75 g glucose load): 140–199 mg/dL; or
- b. Diagnosed with gestational diabetes during a previous pregnancy; or
- c. Received an at-risk result on the Prediabetes Risk Test .
Who should I contact if I think I am eligible to participate in DPP?
Individuals eligible to participate in DPP should contact a DPP provider to enroll in a program. If the DPP program is using the online platform, the participant will receive an automated email with the login information from the provider.
Where do I find a DPP provider?
View the list of CDC-recognized National DPP providers by selecting Pennsylvania from the drop-down list.
How do I access the platform?
You may login via a computer or phone app (iOS & Android) by accessing these links:
What should I expect when I enroll in a DPP program on the online platform?
- New program participants can begin on any day of the week the provider chooses.
- Each week, DPP class participants will have a new video module class and lesson plan available to watch in the virtual classroom. New sessions are available each week, and previous sessions can be watched at any time as well.
- Participants are expected to engage in numerous ways each week to communicate with the lifestyle coach. Participants are expected to communicate with the lifestyle coach through messaging, photo-journaling meals for feedback, tracking hydration, physical activity and weight loss, online community engagement, direct coach messaging, etc.
- Participants are also expected to have live engagement with their coach, either through phone calls, video chat and webinars.