Adherence
A 10-year intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) focused on weight loss and physical activity significantly reduces total healthcare costs, hospitalizations, and medication use in overweight/obese adults with type 2 diabetes compared to diabetes support and education (DSE).
For individuals with type 2 diabetes, committing to a structured, long-term lifestyle program focusing on diet and activity can significantly lower your lifetime healthcare costs. While the initial effort is high (weekly meetings), the long-term payoff includes fewer hospital visits and less reliance on medications, saving thousands of dollars over a decade. This is particularly true if you do not yet have a history of cardiovascular disease.
ILI led to reductions in annual hospitalizations (11%, P = 0.004), hospital days (15%, P = 0.01), and number of medications (6%, P < 0.001), resulting in cost savings for hospitalization (10%, P = 0.04) and medication (7%, P < 0.001). ILI produced a mean relative per-person 10-year cost savings of $5,280 (95% CI 3,385–7,175)
Why this rating
Large-scale, long-duration (10 years), randomized controlled trial (RCT) with intention-to-treat analysis.
Source
Impact of an Intensive Lifestyle Intervention on Use and Cost of Medical Services Among Overweight and Obese Adults With Type 2 Diabetes: The Action for Health in Diabetes
Mark A. Espeland et al. · Diabetes Care · 2014
DOI 10.2337/dc14-0093
Related findings · Adherence
- Regular physical activity (at least 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity) reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality by 20-30% and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes by 25-35%.Strong
- Increasing physical activity from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one in middle adulthood significantly reduces the risk of coronary events compared to remaining sedentary.Strong
- Resistance exercise is the only intervention capable of consistently restoring muscle function and strength in sarcopenia, partially overcoming age-related anabolic resistance.Strong
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