Preface

This book focuses on non-communicable chronic diseases, which are disabling conditions causing premature death worldwide. In Australia such diseases – e.g. diabetes, heart disease, cancer, arthritis and mental disorders – affect around 80% of older persons and account for 70% of total health expenditures. The already high proportion of Australians with chronic diseases is projected to increase significantly in future. So the ability to identify ‘best value for money’ health investments is important if future cost increases are to be contained.

Identifying ‘best value for money’ health investments is the essence of what the major research project we report on in this book is about. A new chronic disease model is described, covering the initial proposal, the model’s building and validation, and examples of its applications to assessing and ranking policy relevant prevention and treatment investment proposals.

Use of models of this kind can help identify the most effective policy interventions that could reduce the prevalence and severity of chronic diseases. To date, model findings indicate that such policies would have considerable benefits to Australians in terms of better health, productivity and well-being. Health expenditures would be lower, the pool of skilled people in the workforce would be greater, and living independently would be a possibility for a greater number of the frail old.

The book also discusses the lessons learnt from our project and from recent Australian health reforms; identifies existing and future health challenges; and puts forward possible improvements to health modeling approaches that could better account for the emerging new environment.

With its broad topic of health and ageing, the book can be of interest to the general web-searching public, as well as serving as basis of study for students and established researchers in the field.