Published in:
01-05-2016 | Original Paper
Does diabetes prevention pay for itself? Evaluation of the M.O.B.I.L.I.S. program for obese persons
Authors:
Jan Häußler, Friedrich Breyer
Published in:
The European Journal of Health Economics
|
Issue 4/2016
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Abstract
In response to the growing burden of obesity, public primary prevention programs against obesity have been widely recommended. Several studies have estimated the cost-effectiveness of diabetes-prevention trials for different countries. Nevertheless, it is still controversial if prevention conducted in more real-world settings and among people with increased risk but not yet exhibiting increased glucose tolerance can be a cost-saving strategy to cope with the obesity epidemic. We examine this question in a simulation model based on the results of the M.O.B.I.L.I.S program, a German lifestyle intervention to reduce obesity, which is directed on the high-risk group of people who are already obese. The contribution of this paper is the use of 4-year follow-up data on the intervention group and a comparison with a control group formed by SOEP respondents as inputs in a Markov model of the long-term cost savings through this intervention due to the prevention of type 2 diabetes. We show that from the point of view of a health insurer, these programs can pay for themselves.