Adherence
Intensive lifestyle interventions (ILI) for weight loss in type 2 diabetes require high financial investment ($2,865/year in year 1) driven primarily by personnel costs, which decreases over time as intervention intensity declines.
If you are considering a structured weight loss program for type 2 diabetes, expect to pay significantly more than self-directed efforts, especially in the first year. The cost is driven by frequent visits with dietitians and exercise specialists. However, this investment often pays off through reduced medication needs and fewer hospital visits over time. Look for programs that offer a mix of group and individual support, as these tend to be more cost-effective per person than purely individual coaching.
During the first year, when intervention delivery was most intensive, the annual cost of intervention delivery, averaged (standard deviation) across clinical sites, was $2,864.6 ($513.3) per ILI participant... Staffing accounted for the majority of costs throughout the trial... As intervention intensity declined, costs decreased, such that from years 5 to 9 of the trial, the annual cost of intervention was $1,119.8 ($227.7) per ILI participant
Why this rating
Based on a large, multicenter randomized controlled trial (Look AHEAD) with detailed cost accounting from 16 sites.
Source
Cost of intervention delivery in a lifestyle weight loss trial in type 2 diabetes: results from the Look <scp>AHEAD</scp> clinical trial
Julia Rushing et al. · Obesity Science & Practice · 2016
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