An investigation that analyzes the relationship between the cost and the effectiveness of lifestyle intervention to prevent diabetes has won the prize for the best original article in the 2014 Spanish clinical magazine.
The research has been carried out by researchers from the University Institute for Research in Primary Care Jordi Gol (Idiap Jordi Gol), of the Reus-Tarragona Diabetes Research Group of the ICS and the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute (IISPV).
The winning article is entitled "Cost-Effectivity of lifestyle interventions to prevent type 2 diabetes" and the results of clinical trials on the prevention of diabetes mellitus type 2 of the Diabetes in EuropePrevention Using Lifestyle, Physical Activity and Nutritional Intervention (DE-PLAN), in Catalonia (Deplan-Cat).
The work presents a cost-effectiveness analysis of several interventions aimed at preventing type 2 diabetes and its results will be presented at the next Congress of the Spanish Society of Internal Medicine (SEMI).
As reported by IDIAP Jordi Gol, the investigation was carried out on 552 participants with a risk of diabetes, who were assigned consecutively to an intervention on the standardized lifestyle (similar to the usual clinical practice), or intensive (programstructured during at least six hours with specific didactic techniques).
The intervention was done by groups or individually and after 4.2 years of follow -up, the incidence in diabetes was 28.8 % in standardized intervention and 18.3 % in intensive intervention, equivalent to a significant reduction in the riskrelative of diabetes of 36.5 %.
The increase in the cost in intensive intervention was 106 euros per participant in individual mode and 10 euros per group participant, which represents an investment of 746 euros and 108 euros at the case of diabetes, respectively.
The quality of life perceived was superior in intensive intervention, an evident difference from the third year and during the room.
This intensive intervention entailed an extra cost of 3,243 euros per year of life, a figure that is considered very efficient in health economy, at least from a public provider perspective of services, according to Idiap Jordi Gol.