Association of a multiple risk factor assessment and intervention program with risk of diabetes: A population-based matched cohort study
by Ernst Bergman, Anna Nordström, Lars Nyberg, Peter Nordström Background Type 2 diabetes incidence remains high among older adults and contributes substantially to morbidity and healthcare burden. Most evidence supporting diabetes prevention derives from intensive lifestyle interventions targeting high-risk individuals under controlled trial conditions. The effectiveness of low-intensity,…
A comprehensive health assessment followed by individualized motivational counseling was linked to a reduced risk of diabetes among older adults, according to a population-based study conducted in Umeå municipality, Sweden. The study, published as a matched cohort analysis, examined 6,018 participants and 57,543 matched controls over a median follow-up period of 4.9 years in the intervention group and 4.8 years in the control group.
During this time, diabetes was diagnosed in 335 participants from the intervention group and 3,919 individuals in the control cohort, representing a 5.6% incidence in the former and a 6.8% incidence in the latter. The primary outcome measured was incident diabetes, defined by a first recorded diagnosis in specialist care or first dispensation of glucose-lowering medication.
After accounting for various factors, the research found that participation in the preventive health program was associated with a lower risk of diabetes (adjusted hazard ratio 0.76; 95% confidence interval 0.68, 0.85; p = 0.001). While the observational design of the study does not provide definitive evidence of the intervention's impact, the findings imply that population-wide, low-intensity prevention strategies could be an effective complement to intensive high-risk approaches in combating diabetes among aging populations.
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