Boulder County residents will have access to a yearlong diabetes prevention program designed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention beginning in March.

The Boulder County Area Agency on Aging will hold an information session about the program on Feb. 26 at 3450 Broadway Street from noon to 1 p.m. Participants must have a diagnosis of prediabetes, which means that blood sugar is elevated. Prediabetes can lead to type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

The CDC’s decade-old Diabetes Prevention Program centers around making lifestyle changes to reduce a person’s risk of type 2 diabetes. It requires that local program administrators meet certain standards, including use of an approved curriculum, employing lifestyle coaches and submitting data.

In Boulder County, an estimated 65,000 people have prediabetes, with approximately 90% being unaware of their condition. Nationally, one in every 10 Americans has diabetes, and one in three adults has prediabetes. People with prediabetes can cut their risk in half by healthier eating and greater exercise.

A spokesperson for Boulder County Community Services said that the county has received $18,000 from the federal government for evidence-based health programs such as this, and local dollars pay for the Diabetes Prevention Program’s administrator.