Background: Establishing a healthy lifestyle has a great potential to reduce the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and their risk factors. NCDs contribute immensely to the economic costs of the health care system arising from therapy, medication use, and productivity loss.
Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the Healthy Lifestyle Community Program (cohort 2; HLCP-2) on medication use and consequently on medication costs for selected NCDs (diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia).
Methods: Data stem from a 24-month non-randomised, controlled intervention trial aiming to improve risk factors for NCDs. Participants completed questionnaires at six measurement time points assessing medication use, from which costs were calculated. The following medication groups were included in the analysis as NCD medication: glucose-lowering medications (GLM), antihypertensive drugs (AHD) and lipid-lowering drugs (LLD). Statistical tests for inter- and intra-group comparison and multiple regression analysis were performed.
Results: In total, 118 participants (intervention group [IG]: n = 79; control group [CG]: n = 39) were considered. Compared to baseline medication use decreased slightly in the IG and increased in the CG. Costs for NCD medication were significantly lower in the IG than in the CG after 6 (p = 0.004), 12 (p = 0.040), 18 (p = 0.003) and 24 months (p = 0.008). After multiple regression analysis and adjusting for confounders, change of costs differed significantly between the groups in all final models.
Conclusion: The HLCP-2 was able to moderately prevent an increase of medication use and thus reduce costs for medication to treat NCDs with the greatest impact on AHD.
Non-communicable diseases (NCD) are associated with high costs for healthcare systems. We evaluated changes in total costs, comprising direct and indirect costs, due to a 24-month non-randomized, controlled lifestyle intervention trial with six measurement time points aiming to improve the risk profile for NCDs. Overall, 187 individuals from the general population aged ≥18 years were assigned to either the intervention group (IG; n = 112), receiving a 10-week intensive lifestyle intervention focusing on a healthy, plant-based diet; physical activity; stress management; and community support, followed by a 22-month follow-up phase including monthly seminars, or a control group (CG; n = 75) without intervention. The complete data sets of 118 participants (IG: n = 79; CG: n = 39) were analyzed. At baseline, total costs per person amounted to 67.80 ± 69.17 EUR in the IG and 48.73 ± 54.41 EUR in the CG per week. The reduction in total costs was significantly greater in the IG compared to the CG after 10 weeks (p = 0.012) and 6 months (p = 0.004), whereas direct costs differed significantly after 10 weeks (p = 0.017), 6 months (p = 0.041) and 12 months (p = 0.012) between the groups. The HLCP-2 was able to reduce health-related economic costs, primarily due to the reduction in direct costs.
Aim Since unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, risk factors for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), and diseases themselves can
independently influence quality of life, lifestyle intervention programs addressing all of these may yield benefits for quality
of life. This study aimed to examine the impact of the Healthy Lifestyle Community Program (HLCP-2) on quality of life
in adults.
Subject and methods Data stem from a 24-month, non-randomized controlled lifestyle program which aimed to improve
markers of NCD risk. Overall, 187 participants were assigned to either the intervention group (IG; n = 112) receiving a
10-week intensive lifestyle intervention on plant-based diet, physical activity, stress management, and community support,
followed by a 22-month alumni phase, or a control group (CG; n = 75), without intervention. Quality of life was assessed by
the EQ-5D-3L questionnaire at six measurement time points. Problems in five health dimensions (“mobility”, “self-care”,
“usual activities”, “pain/discomfort,” and “anxiety/depression”), a visual analogue scale on self-rated health (EQ VAS), and
the German EQ-5D index were addressed.
Results At baseline, 59.8% of the IG and 59.4% of the CG reported problems in ≥ 1 health dimension, with improvement
in the IG at all time points. Compared to baseline, the EQ VAS increased significantly in the IG compared to CG at all time
points. The mean EQ-5D index tended to improve in the IG, but changes did not differ significantly from changes in the CG.
Conclusion A lifestyle community program addressing lifestyle behaviors provides benefits for participants’ self-rated health
status, with the greatest effect after the intensive phase.
Trial registration German Clinical Trials Register DRKS (reference: DRKS00018775; 12.09.2019; retrospectively registered).
