Getting fit wasn’t a high priority for Kathleen Lua two years ago. Overweight, tired and listless, she knew she was out of shape, but she didn’t know to what degree. During a wellness exam, her nurse practitioner suggested she visit Gail Accinelli, an educator at the Coquille Indian Tribe Community Health Center, for a blood test.

There, she came to find out she was pre-diabetic.

“I was scared because I don’t want diabetes,” lua said.

Although the news came as a shock, it also qualified the Coquille tribal member for the center’s Diabetes Prevention Program to help get her health back in order.

Since then Lua, 49, said she’s lost more than 20 pounds, exercises regularly, and now could teach friends and family a thing or two about portion control.

“It’s a lot of education, but it’s fun education. It’s common sense,” said Lua of the diabetes program, which is in its fourth year of a five-year grant funded by the Indian Health Service.

Accinelli said the program targets American Indians at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and introduces them to lifestyle changes via education and activities. The $400,00 grant is shared by the Coquille Indian Tribe, the Klamath Indian Tribes and the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians. Sixty-six sites in the country also have a DPP program, she said.

“The whole program is centered around preventing the pre-diabetics from becoming diabetics,” Accinelli said. “This is something to prevent it. No one wants to become a diabetic.”

She explained that diabetes, a disease in which the body can’t produce or properly use insulin, has become epidemic in the country. But there is hope, she said. Via studies through the DPP, research has shown that people who lose 7 percent of their weight — which could be 10 to 15 pounds depending on the individual — also reduce their chance of developing diabetes by 58 percent. What’s more, the health education participants gain through the course, gets passed on to the family, Accinelli said.

“It’s a whole picture of better health,” she said.

After qualifying for the DPP program, which takes 25 people with pre-diabetes per session, participants get a physical and then start the 16-week core class. They learn how to read labels, work to reduce fat intake, learn about appropriate portions and do 150 minutes a week of exercise.

“We get them up and moving,” Accinelli said.

When students graduate, they receive Nike Native fitness shoes, jackets and support for an additional three years to help them maintain healthy habitats. The “after-core” phase of the project allows  graduates to continue their progress by participating in monthly coaching visits and joining in additional classes and activities, such as low-fat cooking techniques, chair exercises and planting herb gardens. Accinelli described it as  “fun stuff” that keeps graduates on track by focusing on healthful eating and exercise.   

Since the program began, 28 graduates have lost approximately 146 pounds — an average of 10 to 15 pounds per person. Their blood sugar levels returned to normal, and cholesterol levels dropped by an average of 20 points.

Lua said the DPP has definitely made an impact in her eating and exercise habits, as well as those of her daughter and granddaughter.

The Coos Bay resident said she’s learned to make healthier choices and even how to get through a buffet line — walk through, view the options and then make a choice, she explained. Lua added she no longer looks at fast food the same way.

While it may be cheaper to go buy a value meal, “Really you don’t need all that. You can get just as full by eating a healthy portion instead of eating that super-sized, carb-ridden, fat-ridden whatever and then feel like you have to go into self-induced coma,” Lua said.

Following her experience with the DPP, Lua said she is pleased she participated and got to know Accinelli.

“She gave us so much information that wasn’t hard to understand and we didn’t have to make major changes in our lives. It was just simple,” Lua said. “I think it should be available to all tribal members, not just the pre-diabetics or the diabetics.”

Accinelli said she is in the process of recruiting for the next DPP class, which is likely to start in May. The program is free to all Native Americans, 18 years or older, who have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes. For more information, those interested can contact Accinelli at 888-9494, ext. 20216.