NEWS Anne Neumann, doctoral student at Umeå University, has developed a probability model that estimates the cost-effectiveness of lifestyle intervention programs to prevent diabetes. According to the estimations presented September 2 at a dissertation defense, even small improvements in populace lifestyle are cost-effective ways to delay or prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes.
Anne Neumann, doctoral student at the Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Unit of Epidemiology and Global Health, has created a Markov probability model to estimate the cost-effectiveness of diabetes prevention programs. Results show that intervention programs can be significantly cost-effective even if they result in small effects, such as increase of individual physical activity by 13 percent, increase in the portion of individuals consuming at least five portions of fruits and vegetables per day by 10 percent and in weight loss of 5 percent.
“Preventing or delaying the start of diabetes is both feasible and cost-effective,” says Anne Neumann. “My findings show that money spent on lifestyle intervention programs are wisely spent. We now need more political support, resources and infrastructure to build, implement and carry out diabetes prevention programs that are sustainable.”
Using health economics and probability models, Anne Neumann has also established and validated risk equations for diabetes development from a healthy individual to pre-diabetic states and from pre-diabetic states to diabetes. High levels of triglyceride, hypertension and high body mass index were the strongest risk factors to transit to a worsened glucose state.
In her research, Anne Neumann also present estimations on the quality of life of healthy individuals compared to those in pre-diabetic states and those with diabetes. Results clearly show that people with diabetes had lower quality of life compared to those in a healthy or pre-diabetic state, while people in pre-diabetic states have lower quality of life compared to healthy individuals.
Anne Neumann is from Dresden in Germany. She has an educational background in epidemiology and health economics. In addition to her doctoral studies at Umeå University, Anne works as epidemiologist and health economist at the Center of Evidence-Based Health Care, Medical Faculty, Technische Universität Dresden.
http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-123553
On Friday, September 2, Anne Neumann, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Epidemiology and Global Health, will publicly defend her thesis with the title: Prevention of type 2 diabetes: modeling the cost-effectiveness of diabetes prevention. Faculty opponent: Dr. Katarina Steen-Karlsson, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University. Principal supervisor: Professor Lars Lindholm.
The public dissertation defense takes place at 9:00 am in Hall 135, Allmänmedicin by 9A, University Hospital of Umeå (NUS).
Editor: Daniel Harju