333485
Cost-effectiveness of school, early child care and afterschool based nutrition policies and programs to prevent obesity
Methods:The CHildhood Obesity Intervention Cost-Effectiveness Study (CHOICES) systematic review process and microsimulation model were used to estimate the impact and cost effectiveness of three nutrition policies targeting improved food and beverage offerings to children and reduced screen time. Healthcare costs averted and the cost-effectiveness of ten-year reductions in body mass index (BMI), childhood obesity prevalence and gains in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) were estimated for the 2015 U.S. population.
Results: Costs of implementing these policies or programs in the first year range between $3.2 and $16 million with an estimated potential reach of between 370,000 and 13.3 million children aged 3-18 years. These interventions are estimated to reduce BMI by 0.023 – 0.243 unit per person on average. Over a ten-year period, these interventions are estimated to cost $15 to $627 per BMI unit reduced. Resulting healthcare cost reductions and cost-effectiveness to reduce childhood obesity and increase QALYs will be presented.
Conclusions: Cost-effectiveness analysis of interventions can assist in comparing the estimated impact of various policy and program options on short-term outcomes, costs and populations impacted. These interventions may reduce BMI at lower cost than recognized clinical interventions and have potential large population reach.
Learning Areas:
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programsPublic health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines
Public health or related public policy
Learning Objectives:
Evaluate the impact and cost-effectiveness of policies to improve food and beverage offerings and reduce screen time in child-centered settings.
Keyword(s): Policy/Policy Development, Children and Adolescents
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Dr. Cradock is a Deputy Director at the Harvard School of Public Health Prevention Research Center on Nutrition and Physical Activity (HPRC) and a Senior Research Scientist at the Harvard School of Public Health where her research is primarily focused on the social and environmental factors associated with physical activity and nutrition behaviors among youth. Specific areas of interest include school and neighborhood environments, community-based intervention research, and policy research.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.