[Health in older age: cost of illness and cost-effectiveness of prevention].

The objective of prevention is to avoid or to delay health impairments and diseases. For older people it is important to maintain their independence and to avoid and reduce the need for external help such as nursing care. Good starting points are the strategies for healthy life-style. Physical activity, smoking abstinence, and normal weight have proven to have their positive medical and economic effect on many chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, and certain types of dementia. The potential of prevention increases as those diseases affect one another. As for other health care, the cost-effectiveness of preventive measures must also be examined. There are few German studies addressing the cost-benefit of the non-medication prevention. Results from international studies can only partly be transferred to the German context. The cost-effectiveness for prevention for elderly people has been very rarely researched. Research in the field of prevention is so far not very well developed as for other health fields. There is a need for more specific research for methods, interventions and target groups. In health economics major challenges arise from different time schedules and various purchasers, as well as from the evaluation of human capital for elderly.