Lufkin Students Take Part in State Diabetes Pilot Project

Does a community based lifestyle education program improve health care status in a group of children at increased risk for diabetes? That is the question the Children’s Lifestyle Intervention Program (CLIP) attempts to answer. The CLIP study kicked off today at the Lufkin Middle School with all 6th graders participating in a presentation by local medical experts and governmental leaders. 

State Representative Jim McReynolds, Dr. Jeffrey Glass, Dr. Lance Sloan, and Tim Scallon, Director of Clinical Nutrition at Memorial Health System of East Texas presented information to the students on how physical activity and sound nutrition can lead to a healthy lifestyle. All 6th graders were given arm bands with the words “Power of Choice” imprinted on them as a reminder that they have the power to choose a healthy lifestyle.
The CLIP Study is a pilot study led by Memorial Health System of East Texas on prevention and treatment of diabetes. This study is Memorial’s response to House Bill 3735, carried by Representative Jim McReynolds, which passed in 2007.
Lufkin Middle School 6th graders form the study group and Livingston Middle School 6th graders make up the control group for the study. Both groups were screened for potential risk of developing diabetes. The Lufkin study group will have a 9 week lifestyle education program inserted into their regular curriculum. This includes providing pedometers (donated by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists) to all Lufkin students. The control group, Livingston Middle School 6th graders, will not receive the education segment. At the end of the 9 week program, those at highest risk will be screened again to evaluate the impact of the lifestyle education program.
Those involved in the study include Dr. Lance Sloan, Dr. Jeffrey Glass, and Dr. Ghazala Khan. These physicians guided the development of the study. Tim Scallon, Director of Clinical Nutrition; Ethel Ballenger, Coordinator for Horace C. Polk Jr. Regional Diabetes Center; and Deborah Brantley, Educator for Horace C. Polk Jr. Regional Diabetes Center are coordinating the efforts of the Polk Diabetes Center, Lufkin Middle School and the medical team.