BACKGROUND: To assess from a societal perspective the cost-effectiveness of a school program to increase active transport in 10- to 11-year-old Australian children as an obesity prevention measure. METHODS: The TravelSMART Schools Curriculum program was modeled nationally for 2001 in terms of its impact on Body Mass Index (BMI) and Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) measured against current practice. Cost offsets and DALY benefits were modeled until the eligible cohort reached age 100 or died. The intervention was qualitatively assessed against second stage filter criteria ('equity,' 'strength of evidence,' 'acceptability to stakeholders,' 'feasibility of implementation,' 'sustainability,' and 'side-effects') given their potential impact on funding decisions. RESULTS: The modeled intervention reached 267,700 children and cost $AUD13.3M (95% uncertainty interval [UI] $6.9M; $22.8M) per year. It resulted in an incremental saving of 890 (95%UI -540; 2,900) BMI units, which translated to 95 (95% UI -40; 230) DALYs and a net cost per DALY saved of $AUD117,000 (95% UI dominated; $1.06M). CONCLUSIONS: The intervention was not cost-effective as an obesity prevention measure under base-run modeling assumptions. The attribution of some costs to nonobesity objectives would be justified given the program's multiple benefits. Cost-effectiveness would be further improved by considering the wider school community impacts.
BACKGROUND: To assess from a societal perspective the cost-effectiveness of a school program to increase active transport in 10- to 11-year-old Australian children as an obesity prevention measure. METHODS: The TravelSMART Schools Curriculum program was modeled nationally for 2001 in terms of its impact on Body Mass Index (BMI) and Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) measured against current practice. Cost offsets and DALY benefits were modeled until the eligible cohort reached age 100 or died. The intervention was qualitatively assessed against second stage filter criteria ('equity,' 'strength of evidence,' 'acceptability to stakeholders,' 'feasibility of implementation,' 'sustainability,' and 'side-effects') given their potential impact on funding decisions. RESULTS: The modeled intervention reached 267,700 children and cost $AUD13.3M (95% uncertainty interval [UI] $6.9M; $22.8M) per year. It resulted in an incremental saving of 890 (95%UI -540; 2,900) BMI units, which translated to 95 (95% UI -40; 230) DALYs and a net cost per DALY saved of $AUD117,000 (95% UI dominated; $1.06M). CONCLUSIONS: The intervention was not cost-effective as an obesity prevention measure under base-run modeling assumptions. The attribution of some costs to nonobesity objectives would be justified given the program's multiple benefits. Cost-effectiveness would be further improved by considering the wider school community impacts.
Authors: Tim Lobstein; Rachel Jackson-Leach; Marjory L Moodie; Kevin D Hall; Steven L Gortmaker; Boyd A Swinburn; W Philip T James; Youfa Wang; Klim McPherson Journal: Lancet Date: 2015-02-19 Impact factor: 79.321
Authors: Verughese Jacob; Sajal K Chattopadhyay; Jeffrey A Reynolds; David P Hopkins; Jennifer A Morgan; David R Brown; Christopher S Kochtitzky; Alison E Cuellar; Shiriki K Kumanyika Journal: Am J Prev Med Date: 2021-01 Impact factor: 5.043
Authors: Paul Kelly; Aiden R Doherty; Alex Hamilton; Anne Matthews; Alan M Batterham; Michael Nelson; Charlie Foster; Gill Cowburn Journal: Am J Prev Med Date: 2012-11 Impact factor: 5.043
Authors: Davene R Wright; Elsie M Taveras; Matthew W Gillman; Christine M Horan; Katherine H Hohman; Steven L Gortmaker; Lisa A Prosser Journal: BMC Health Serv Res Date: 2014-01-29 Impact factor: 2.655