Newtopia Achieves Full CDC Recognition for its Alternate Diabetes Prevention Program

News provided by

Jun 25, 2020, 07:00 ET

Leading telehealth enabled habit change platform is a CDC fully accredited alternate diabetes prevention program

TORONTO, June 25, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Newtopia Inc. (TSXV: NEWU), a habit change platform for disease prevention, today announced that its Alternate Diabetes Prevention Program has received full recognition from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

To achieve full CDC recognition providers must meet rigorous standards. These include approval of an organization's content if different from what the CDC has developed (alternate program), a minimum percentage of participants entering the program with a qualifying blood test, a minimum level of participant engagement and the achievement of average participant weight loss in accordance with CDC standards.

"With over 88 million American adults having prediabetes which has now been associated as a clinically recognized risk factor for COVID-19, the need to prevent type 2 diabetes in a different way has never been greater. Having the CDC fully recognize Newtopia's alternate, one-size-fits- one diabetes prevention program validates our commitment to making populations healthier by changing habits," said Jeff Ruby, founder and chief executive officer of Newtopia. "We are proud that we are now a fully accredited CDC alternate diabetes prevention program, having taken the time to demonstrate the efficacy of our one-size-fits-one habit change approach instead of a standardized one-size-fits-all curriculum. While other programs have a sole focus on standardized education, Newtopia focuses on the whole person and their motivation and provides dynamic personalized coaching for habit change to deliver outcomes that grow over time."

Newtopia's hyper-personalized approach combines the best of human intervention and digital technology, along with genetic engagement to support the improved health of participants. Designed to complement or replace employers' health improvement programs, Newtopia's habit change platform improves the health of the roughly 50% of employees who are at risk for obesity, cardiovascular disease and pre-diabetes.

"There are 88 million people with prediabetes in the U.S. Eight out of 10 Americans with prediabetes don't even know they have it, and without action many could develop type 2 diabetes within five years. We are proud to be a fully recognized program that offers significant habit and sustainable behavior change," said Dr. Natasha Vani, director of physical activity and nutrition at Newtopia. "One size does not fit all when it comes to helping people reduce risk factors. Our participant's goal is to lose a minimum of 5% of their body weight. How they are coached to achieve their goals are unique to each participant. Research has shown that this weight reduction is associated with improvements with various biometrics including blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides. Based on this body weight reduction, there is a high impact on lowering type 2 diabetes and broad lifestyle-related chronic disease risk."

About Newtopia

Newtopia works closely with organizations and their employees to deliver highly personalized and targeted disease prevention solutions that are proven to reduce employer healthcare costs. Newtopia gains a deep understanding of each employee through a unique combination of genetic testing, personality-matched coaching and smart technology, and then inspires at-risk employees to achieve, and sustain, healthier lifestyles. Employers partnering with Newtopia save on healthcare costs and realize the additional benefits of having a more productive and healthier workforce.

SOURCE Newtopia Inc.