Background: Much recent effort has been directed toward controlling health care costs, but there has been little emphasis or research on prevention as a means of cost containment. This is due largely to lack of data relating to economic impact of prevention. Initial research: New data on two large Chicago cohorts followed for 22 years show that men and women with favorable baseline levels of all major CVD risk factors in middle age are at much lower age-specific risk of death from CVD, non-CVD, and all causes, and have much lower average annual Medicare costs (1984-1994), total and for CVD care, after becoming eligible at age 65 for Medicare.
Aims : General - Assess in four large Chicago population cohorts whether young adult and middle-aged risk factor status has an impact not only on average annual Medicare costs, but also on cumulative and lifetime Medicare costs, to ages 70, 75, 80, >80, including to death, and during last one to two years of life.
Specific Aims : 1) Assess relationships of CVD risk factors measured in young and middle-aged adult men and women to Medicare utilization and charges, from Medicare enrollment to death or attainment of age 70, 75, 80, >80, including in last one to two years of life. 2) Determine long-term relationship between earlier low-risk status vs. not-low-risk to subsequent Medicare health care charges. Baseline low risk is all six CVD risk factors favorable: systolic/diastolic pressure 120 mmHg/80 mmHg and no antihypertensive treatment, serum cholesterol <200 mg/dl, not currently smoking, no ECG abnormalities, no history of diabetes or heart attack. 3) Determine relationships between baseline habitual eating patterns and subsequent Medicare utilization and charges. 4) Further develop statistical methods for optimal analyses of health care expenditures. To accomplish these aims, the investigators propose to substantially extend their existing database by obtaining additional years of morbidity-mortality experience and of Medicare charge data to the year 2002. Significance: The investigators state that this research is unique and pioneering, with strong implications as to potential for both increasing longevity with health and saving money by shifting population risk factor status downward, to increase the percentage of low risk individuals from current low levels (<10 percent).
Showing the most recent 10 out of 12 publications
