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When Doreen Hance joined the Sumter County On The Move! (SCOTM!) group-based walking program, she simply wanted to shed a few pounds. She accomplished that—and more. Doreen walked with her group that includes coworkers. When they could not walk, she walked alone. She used her pedometer to log her steps. By the time she completed six months of SCOTM!, she had logged 812,000 steps, or about 406 miles! As the new year begins, Doreen is logging her way to an additional 400 miles.SCOTM! is a free group-based walking program sponsored by the University of South Carolina Prevention Research Center and Sumter County Active Lifestyles. Program participants are also part of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention research study that is exploring if and how walking groups motivate adults to walk. Another SCOTM! member, Mamie Smith, says SCOTM! has helped her avoid a serious medical diagnosis. A few weeks ago, Mamie visited her physician and learned that she is pre-diabetic. Since joining SCOTMI this past summer, she has been walking 1-2 miles daily. After receiving her diagnosis, however, she is even more determined to stay active and now is complementing her active lifestyle by monitoring her diet. Mamie states, “Along with my walking and new diet plan, I may look like a completely different person when you see me!! I am determined to be all I can be!!!”SCOTM! is seeking others like Doreen and Mamie who are ready to make a lifestyle change in 2013. For more information about SCOTM!, visit the study’s website at www.sumtercountymoves.org or call Dr. Melinda Forthofer at (803) 777-1527.