Intervention-only programmes were in general more cost effective than programmes that also included a screening component .
The longer the period evaluated , the more cost-effective interventions appeared .
There was insufficient evidence to answer the question of ( 1 ) whether lifestyle programmes are more cost effective than metformin or ( 2 ) whether low-intensity lifestyle interventions are more cost effective than the more intensive lifestyle programmes that were tested in trials .
OBJECTIVE Explore the cost-effectiveness of lifestyle interventions and metformin in reducing subsequent incidence of type 2 diabetes  , both alone and in combination with a screening programme to identify high-risk individuals .
Prevention of type 2 diabetes by lifestyle intervention: a Japanese trial in IGT males.
Prevention of type 2 diabetes by intensive lifestyle intervention design ed to achieve and maintain ideal body weight was assessed in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance ( IGT ) . Male subjects with IGT recruited from health-screening examinees were r and omly assigned in a 4:1 ratio to a st and ard intervention group ( control group ) and intensive intervention group ( intervention group ) . The final numbers of subjects were 356 and 102 , respectively . The subjects in the control group and in the intervention group were advised to maintain body mass index ( BMI ) of < 24.0 kg/m2 and of < 22.0 kg/m2 , respectively , by diet and exercise . In the intervention group , detailed instructions on lifestyle were repeated every 3 - 4 months during hospital visits . Diabetes was judged to have developed when two or more consecutive fasting plasma glucose ( FPG ) values exceeded 140 mg/dl . A 100 g oral glucose tolerance test was performed every 6 months to detect improvement of glucose tolerance . The subjects were seen in an ordinary outpatient clinic . The cumulative 4-year incidence of diabetes was 9.3 % in the control group , versus 3.0 % in the intervention group , and the reduction in risk of diabetes was 67.4 % ( P < 0.001 ) . Body weight decreased by 0.39 kg in the control group and by 2.18 kg in the intervention group ( P < 0.001 ) . The control group was subclassified according to increase and decrease in body weight . The incidence of diabetes was positively correlated with the changes in body weight , and the improvement in glucose tolerance was negatively correlated . Subjects with higher FPG at baseline developed diabetes at a higher rate than those with lower FPG . Higher 2h plasma glucose values and higher BMI values at baseline were also associated with a higher incidence of diabetes , but the differences were not significant . Subjects with a low insulinogenic index ( DeltaIRI/DeltaPG 30 min after an oral glucose load ) developed diabetes at a significantly higher rate than those with a normal insulinogenic index . Comparison of the BMI data and incidence of diabetes in five diabetes prevention studies by lifestyle intervention revealed a linear correlation between the incidence of diabetes and the BMI values , with the exception of the DaQing Study . However , the slope of the reduction in incidence of diabetes in the intensive intervention groups was steeper than expected simply on the basis of the reduction of BMI , suggesting that the effect of lifestyle intervention can not be solely ascribed to the body weight reduction . We conclude that lifestyle intervention aim ed at achieving ideal body weight in men with IGT  is effective and can be conducted in an outpatient clinic setting
Intervention-only programmes were in general more cost effective than programmes that also included a screening component .
The longer the period evaluated , the more cost-effective interventions appeared .
There was insufficient evidence to answer the question of ( 1 ) whether lifestyle programmes are more cost effective than metformin or ( 2 ) whether low-intensity lifestyle interventions are more cost effective than the more intensive lifestyle programmes that were tested in trials .
OBJECTIVE Explore the cost-effectiveness of lifestyle interventions and metformin in reducing subsequent incidence of type 2 diabetes  , both alone and in combination with a screening programme to identify high-risk individuals .