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ArticlePublication 2019Cost-Effectiveness of Community-Based Childhood Obesity Prevention Interventions in Australia
This study examined the cost-effectiveness of community-based obesity prevention interventions (CBIs) consisting of strategies to …
This study examined the cost-effectiveness of community-based obesity prevention interventions (CBIs) consisting of strategies to promote healthy eating and physical activity for Australian children aged between 5-18 years. A multiple cohort Markov model that simulates diseases associated with overweight and obesity was used to estimate the health benefits, measured as health-adjusted life years (HALYs) and healthcare-related cost offsets from diseases averted due to exposure to the intervention. Health and cost outcomes were estimated over the…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | State-Transition | Health Outcomes | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health Systems | Clinical Care | Food/Agriculture | Health/Medicine | Oceania -
ArticlePublication 2019Long-Term Cost-Effectiveness of Obesity Prevention Interventions in the Early Years of Life
This analysis estimated the long-term health benefits and health care cost-savings of reductions in body …
This analysis estimated the long-term health benefits and health care cost-savings of reductions in body mass index (BMI) for the Australian population of children aged between 2 and 5 years. A proportional multistate, multiple cohort, lifetable model estimated the health benefits and health care cost-savings related to hypothetical reductions in BMI, informed by a scoping review of systematic reviews reporting the effectiveness of obesity prevention interventions in preschool aged children. Results suggested significant potential for…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health Systems | Clinical Care | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | Oceania -
Fact SheetPublication 2024CHOICES: The Childhood Obesity Intervention Cost-Effectiveness Study
Adults and children in the U.S. consume more calories from foods and beverages than they …
Adults and children in the U.S. consume more calories from foods and beverages than they are expending. Over the past few decades, this trend has created an obesity epidemic. Identifying what works to prevent childhood obesity has become a priority for public health researchers, policymakers, and the general public. The Childhood Obesity Intervention Cost-Effectiveness Study (CHOICES) at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is working to help reverse the U.S. obesity epidemic by…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Social Determinants | Health Systems | Clinical Care | Food/Agriculture | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | North America -
ArticlePublication 2017Cost-Effectiveness of a Clinical Childhood Obesity Intervention
This study estimated the cost-effectiveness of the STAR (Study of Technology to Accelerate Research) trial, …
This study estimated the cost-effectiveness of the STAR (Study of Technology to Accelerate Research) trial, an electronic health record (EHR)-based decision support intervention for primary care providers. Using a microsimulation model, the authors estimated the impact of a national implementation of STAR from 2015 to 2025 among all pediatric primary care providers in the U.S. with fully functional EHRs. The study found that over 10 years, the intervention would reach 2 million children, with costs…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Costing Methods | Microsimulation | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health Systems | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | North America -
ArticlePublication 2016State-Level Estimates of Childhood Obesity Prevalence in the U.S. Corrected for Report Bias
State-level obesity estimates are critical to public health efforts to address the childhood obesity epidemic. …
State-level obesity estimates are critical to public health efforts to address the childhood obesity epidemic. However, few states have objectively measured body mass index (BMI) surveillance programs. Instead, surveys are used in which parents report the height and weight of their children. However, these estimates are generally biased. This study used a non-parametric statistical matching technique to use measured data from NHANES to correct for this bias and produce adjusted state-level estimates of childhood obesity…
Evidence Synthesis | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health/Medicine | North America -
ArticlePublication 2015Cost Effectiveness of an Elementary School Active Physical Education Policy
While most elementary schools in the U.S. do require some physical education (PE), on average, …
While most elementary schools in the U.S. do require some physical education (PE), on average, students spend less than half of class time engaged in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). PE activity levels are lower when more class time is spent organizing students or reviewing rules, and when PE classes are led by classroom teachers instead of trained PE specialists. Policies aimed at increasing MVPA levels during PE class – “active PE” policies – have been…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Costing Methods | Health Outcomes | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health Systems | Clinical Care | Economics/Finance | Food/Agriculture | Health/Medicine | North America -
ArticlePublication 2017Diet, Physical Activity and Behavioral Interventions for the Treatment of Overweight or Obese Children, Ages 6-11 Years
Child and adolescent overweight and obesity has increased globally, and can be associated with significant …
Child and adolescent overweight and obesity has increased globally, and can be associated with significant short- and long-term health consequences. The purpose of this systematic review was to assess the effects of diet, physical activity, and behavioral interventions (behavior-changing interventions) for the treatment of overweight or obese children aged 6 to 11 years. The review included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of diet, physical activity, and behavioral interventions for treating overweight or obese children aged 6…
Evidence Synthesis | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health Systems | Policy/Regulation | Clinical Care | Government/Law | Health/Medicine -
ArticlePublication 2017Cost-Effectiveness of Subsidizing Fruit and Vegetable through SNAP
A diet high in fruits and vegetables is associated with reduced risk of chronic disease …
A diet high in fruits and vegetables is associated with reduced risk of chronic disease - to incentivize consumption among low-income households one proposal is to make them more affordable through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This cost effectiveness analysis adopts a societal perspective to estimate the value of subsidizing fruit and vegetable (FV) purchases among the one in seven Americans who participate in SNAP. A stochastic microsimulation model of obesity, type 2 diabetes, myocardial infarction,…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Mathematical Models | Microsimulation | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Social Determinants | Policy/Regulation | Economics/Finance | Food/Agriculture | Health/Medicine | North America -
ArticlePublication 2015Modeling the Cost Effectiveness of U.S. Child Care Policy Changes
Risk factors for obesity, including dietary habits, physical activity, and screen time behaviors develop in …
Risk factors for obesity, including dietary habits, physical activity, and screen time behaviors develop in early childhood, highlighting the importance of early intervention for obesity prevention. With nearly 70% of American preschool-aged children in out-of-home childcare facilities, these programs serve as an ideal intervention target. This study estimated the effect of hypothetical state-level regulations focused on beverage consumption, physical activity, and screen time. Using a simulation model, the authors found these regulatory changes would reach…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Costing Methods | Health Outcomes | Mathematical Models | Microsimulation | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health Systems | Clinical Care | Education/Labor | Food/Agriculture | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | North America -
ArticlePublication 2015BMI and Healthcare Cost Impact of Eliminating Tax Subsidy for Advertising Unhealthy Food to Youth
Children in the U.S. are exposed to thousands of food-related TV advertisements, most of which …
Children in the U.S. are exposed to thousands of food-related TV advertisements, most of which promote nutritionally poor foods and drinks. Food marketers spend millions of dollars on youth-directed television each year, and these advertising expenditures are currently treated by the U.S. government as ordinary business expenses, meaning they receive a tax subsidy of nearly $80 million. This study estimated the cost-effectiveness of eliminating this tax subsidy. Using a simulation model, the authors found that…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Costing Methods | Health Outcomes | Microsimulation | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Social Determinants | Policy/Regulation | Culture/Society | Food/Agriculture | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | North America -
ArticlePublication 2016U.S. States' Childhood Obesity Surveillance Practices and Recommendations, 2014–2015
This study examined the extent to which state governments conduct child body mass index (BMI) …
This study examined the extent to which state governments conduct child body mass index (BMI) surveillance. Routine surveillance of child BMI is needed to monitor the childhood obesity epidemic, particularly at the state and local levels. However, child BMI surveillance systems operated by the U.S. government do not provide state or local data on children across a range of ages. The authors conducted structured telephone surveys with state government administrators from August through December 2014…
Evidence Synthesis | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health Systems | Clinical Care | Food/Agriculture | Health/Medicine | North America -
ArticlePublication 2015Cost Effectiveness of a SSB Excise Tax in the U.S.
Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) have been closely linked with excess weight gain, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, …
Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) have been closely linked with excess weight gain, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, which has led to public health recommendations for higher taxes on unhealthy drinks like soda and sports drinks. This study estimated the cost-effectiveness of implementing a 1-cent per ounce SSB excise tax in the U.S. The authors developed a simulation model and found that implementing the tax nationally would cost $51 million in the first year and would reduce SSB…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Social Determinants | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | North America -
ArticlePublication 2015Cost Effectiveness of Childhood Obesity Interventions: Evidence and Methods for CHOICES
As the childhood obesity epidemic continues in the U.S., fiscal crises are leading policymakers to …
As the childhood obesity epidemic continues in the U.S., fiscal crises are leading policymakers to ask not only whether an intervention works, but also whether it offers good value for money spent. This paper discussed the methods used to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of four strategies to address the obesity epidemic: (1) a sugar-sweetened beverage excise tax; (2) eliminating the tax subsidy of TV advertising of unhealthy food to children; (3) early care and education policy…
Evidence Synthesis | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health Outcomes | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Social Determinants | Culture/Society | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | North America -
ArticlePublication 2015Severe Obesity in Adults Cost State Medicaid Programs Nearly $8 Billion in 2013
Efforts to control healthcare spending while expanding Medicaid must be informed by a better understanding …
Efforts to control healthcare spending while expanding Medicaid must be informed by a better understanding of the state-level medical costs associated with severe obesity. This study analyzed medical costs from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) and matched them to state-level estimates of severe obesity, adjusting for self-report bias. The authors found that in 2013, severe obesity cost the U.S. $69 billion, which accounted for 60% of total obesity-related costs. Approximately 11% of the costs…
Evidence Synthesis | Costing Methods | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health Systems | Health/Medicine | North America -
ReviewPublication 2016Strengthening Cost-Effectiveness Analysis for Public Health Policy
Many important opportunities to improve health lie outside the health sector and involve improving the …
Many important opportunities to improve health lie outside the health sector and involve improving the conditions in which we live and work: safe design and maintenance of roads, bridges, train tracks, and airports; control of environmental pollutants; occupational safety; healthy buildings; a safe and healthy food supply; safe manufacture of consumer products; a healthy social environment; and others. Faced with the overwhelming array of possibilities, U.S. decision makers need help identifying those that can contribute the…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Preferences/Values | Priority Setting/Ethics | Costing Methods | Social Determinants | Environmental Health | Health Systems | Policy/Regulation | Climate/Environment | Economics/Finance | Food/Agriculture | Health/Medicine | North America -
ArticlePublication 2016Redrawing the U.S. Obesity Landscape: State-Specific Adult Obesity Prevalence
State-level estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) underestimate the obesity epidemic …
State-level estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) underestimate the obesity epidemic because they use self-reported height and weight. This study described a novel bias-correction method and produced corrected state-level estimates of obesity and severe obesity. Using non-parametric statistical matching, the authors adjusted self-reported data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) 2013 (n = 386,795) using measured data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (n = 16,924).…
Evidence Synthesis | Health Outcomes | Child/Nutrition | Health/Medicine | North America -
ArticlePublication 2017Cost-Effectiveness Analysis to Prioritize Approaches to Obesity Prevention in Childhood
Recommended levels of physical activity (PA) promote a healthy body weight and reduce chronic disease …
Recommended levels of physical activity (PA) promote a healthy body weight and reduce chronic disease risk. To help prioritize investment in PA promotion initiatives, this study estimated the impact of six recommended strategies to increase physical activity in U.S. school, afterschool, and childcare settings. Using a microsimulation model, the authors found that the number children reached by the interventions ranged from 90,000 attending a Healthy Afterschool Program to over 31 million reached by Active School…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Priority Setting/Ethics | Microsimulation | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health Systems | Policy/Regulation | Clinical Care | Climate/Environment | Education/Labor | Food/Agriculture | Health/Medicine | North America -
ArticlePublication 2015Three Interventions That Reduce Childhood Obesity
Policy makers seeking to reduce childhood obesity must prioritize investment in treatment and primary prevention. …
Policy makers seeking to reduce childhood obesity must prioritize investment in treatment and primary prevention. The authors estimated the cost-effectiveness of seven interventions high on the obesity policy agenda: (1) a sugar-sweetened beverage excise tax, (2) elimination of the tax subsidy for advertising unhealthy food to children, (3) restaurant menu calorie labeling, (4) nutrition standards for school meals, (5) nutrition standards for all other food and beverages sold in schools, (6) improved early care and…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Costing Methods | Child/Nutrition | Health Systems | Policy/Regulation | Clinical Care | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | North America -
ReviewPublication 2016Cochrane Review: Strategies to Improve the Implementation of Obesity Prevention
Despite the existence of effective interventions and best-practice guideline recommendations for childcare services to implement …
Despite the existence of effective interventions and best-practice guideline recommendations for childcare services to implement policies, practices, and programs to promote child healthy eating, physical activity, and prevent unhealthy weight gain, many services fail to do so. The primary aim of the review was to examine the effectiveness of strategies aimed to improve the implementation of policies, practices, or programs by childcare services that promote child healthy eating, physical activity, and/or obesity prevention. The secondary…
Evidence Synthesis | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health Systems | Policy/Regulation | Clinical Care | Culture/Society | Education/Labor | Health/Medicine | Global -
ArticlePublication 2014Cost of a Primary Care-Based Childhood Obesity Prevention Intervention
This study evaluated the cost of a primary care-based obesity prevention intervention (High Five for …
This study evaluated the cost of a primary care-based obesity prevention intervention (High Five for Kids) for children ages 2-6 years, compared to usual care. U.S. pediatric guidelines recommend that childhood obesity counseling be done in primary care settings. The clinical trial aimed to modify children’s nutrition and TV viewing habits through a motivational interviewing intervention. The authors assessed the visit-related costs for children enrolled in the trial, and found that the mean costs for…
Decision Analysis | Costing Methods | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Clinical Care | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | North America -
ReviewPublication 2011Simulation Models of Obesity: A Review of the Literature
Simulation models combine information from a variety of sources to provide a useful tool for …
Simulation models combine information from a variety of sources to provide a useful tool for examining how the effects of obesity unfold over time and impact population health. They can aid in the understanding of the complex interaction of the drivers of diet and activity and their relation to health outcomes. This paper provided an overview of different types of simulation models used to evaluate the potential impact of policies to address the obesity epidemic.…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Decision Analysis | State-Transition | Mathematical Models | Microsimulation | Calibration/Validation | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Economics/Finance | Food/Agriculture | Health/Medicine -
ArticlePublication 2011Health and Economic Burden of the Projected Obesity Trends in the U.S. and the U.K.
This study used a simulation model to project the health and economic consequences of a …
This study used a simulation model to project the health and economic consequences of a continued rise in obesity in the U.S. and U.K. by 2030. Trends in excess weight gain were forecasted to lead to an increased burden of several diseases, most notably cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. The study projects that there will be 65 million more adults with obesity in the U.S., and 11 million more in the U.K., leading to an…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Costing Methods | Health Outcomes | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Economics/Finance | Food/Agriculture | Health/Medicine | North America | Europe