The cost-effectiveness of school-based eating disorder screening

D.R. Wright, S.B. Austin, H.L. Noh, Y. Jiang and K.R. Sonneville

American Journal of Public Health, 2014, vol. 104, issue 9, 1774-1782

Abstract: Objectives. We aimed to assess the value of school-based eating disorder (ED) screening for a hypothetical cohort of US public school students. Methods. We used a decision-analytic microsimulation model to model the effectiveness (life-years with ED and quality-adjusted life-years [QALYs]), total direct costs, and cost-effectiveness (cost per QALY gained) of screening relative to current practice. Results. The screening strategy cost $2260 (95% confidence interval [CI] = $1892, $2668) per student and resulted in a per capita gain of 0.25 fewer life-years with ED (95% CI = 0.21, 0.30) and 0.04 QALYs (95% CI = 0.03, 0.05) relative to current practice. The base case cost-effectiveness of the intervention was $9041 per life-year with ED avoided (95% CI = $6617, $12 344) and $56 500 per QALY gained (95% CI = $38 805, $71 250). Conclusions. At willingness-to-pay thresholds of $50 000 and $100 000 per QALY gained, school-based ED screening is 41% and 100% likely to be costeffective, respectively. The cost-effectiveness of ED screening is comparable to many other accepted pediatric health interventions, including hypertension screening.

Keywords: adolescent; article; child; cost benefit analysis; decision support system; eating disorder; economics; female; human; male; mass screening; quality adjusted life year; statistical model, Adolescent; Child; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Decision Support Techniques; Eating Disorders; Female; Humans; Male; Mass Screening; Models, Economic; Quality-Adjusted Life Years (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.2105/AJPH.2014.302018

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2014.302018_4

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2014.302018

Access Statistics for this article

American Journal of Public Health is currently edited by Alfredo Morabia

More articles in American Journal of Public Health from American Public Health Association
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Christopher F Baum ().