Tackling the burden of chronic diseases in the USA
The Lancet, Volume 373, Issue 9659, 17 January 2009
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(09)60048-9/fulltext
“….Data from 2005 show that 44% of all Americans have at least one chronic condition and 13% have three or more. By 2020, 157 million
Health Affairs, January/February 2009
Available free online at: http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/28/1/36
“……..A core truth about chronic conditions is that most are preventable. As Susan Brink’s Report from the Field recounts, the multiyear trial known as the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) demonstrated that lifestyle modifications alone could produce sharp reductions in the development of diabetes in high-risk people with prediabetic conditions. Moreover, a few key strategies—such as improved diet, exercise, and weight loss, along with smoking cessation—can simultaneously reduce the risk of several conditions such as cardiovascular disease and cancers. So it’s no surprise that policymakers say that prevention should assume a far more prominent role in
Articles
· Ron Z. Goetzel
Do Prevention Or Treatment Services Save Money? The Wrong Debate
Health Affairs, January/February 2009; 28(1): 37-41.
“……Health improvements and cost savings are achievable by providing targeted, evidence-based, and cost-effective health promotion and disease prevention programs that reduce modifiable risk factors, often the cause of costly chronic diseases. Adopting commonsense health practices does not require expensive technology, medication, specialty training, or elaborate treatment facilities. Instituting environmental, policy, and normative interventions, in addition to individual behavior change programs, can shift our thinking about how we pay for health…”
· Louise B. Russell
Preventing Chronic Disease: An Important Investment, But Don’t Count On Cost Savings
Health Affairs, January/February 2009; 28(1): 42-45.
“…..Over the four decades since cost-effectiveness analysis was first applied to health and medicine, hundreds of studies have shown that prevention usually adds to medical costs instead of reducing them. Medications for hypertension and elevated cholesterol, diet and exercise to prevent diabetes, and screening and early treatment for cancer all add more to medical costs than they save. Careful choices about frequency, groups to target, and component costs can increase the likelihood that interventions will be highly cost-effective or even cost-saving….’
· Jon R. Gabel, Heidi Whitmore, Jeremy Pickreign,
Obesity And The Workplace: Current Programs And Attitudes Among Employers And Employees
Health Affairs, January/February 2009; 28(1): 46-56.
“……This paper presents findings about weight management programs at the workplace, and employers’ and employees’ views about these programs. Data are from a survey of 505 randomly selected public and private employers with fifty or more employees, and a survey of 1,352 households with employer-based insurance. The majority of employers with 5,000 or more workers offer programs such as on-site exercise facilities, nutritional counseling, and health risk appraisals, whereas sizable minorities of smaller employers offer them. Employers and employees view weight management programs as appropriate and effective. Employers want programs to pay for themselves, whereas employees are willing to pay higher premiums for them….”
· Susan Brink
The Diabetes Prevention Program: How The Participants Did It
Health Affairs, January/February 2009; 28(1): 57-62.
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