An Economic Evaluation of ‘Sheds for Life’: A Community-Based Men’s Health Initiative for Men’s Sheds in Ireland

Aisling McGrath, Niamh Murphy, Tom Egan, Gillian Ormond and Noel Richardson
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Aisling McGrath: School of Health Sciences, Waterford Institute of Technology, X91 K0EK Waterford, Ireland
Niamh Murphy: School of Health Sciences, Waterford Institute of Technology, X91 K0EK Waterford, Ireland
Tom Egan: School of Business, Waterford Institute of Technology, X91 K0EK Waterford, Ireland
Gillian Ormond: School of Business, Waterford Institute of Technology, X91 K0EK Waterford, Ireland
Noel Richardson: National Centre for Men’s Health, Institute of Technology Carlow, R93 V960 Carlow, Ireland

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 4, 1-13

Abstract: Men’s Sheds (‘Sheds’) attract a diverse cohort of men and, as such, have been identified as spaces with the potential to engage marginalized subpopulations with more structured health promotion. ‘Sheds for Life’ is a 10-week men’s health initiative for Sheds in Ireland and the first structured health promotion initiative formally evaluated in Sheds. Cost is an important implementation outcome in the evaluation of Sheds for Life when operating in an environment where budgets are limited. Therefore, an economic evaluation is critical to highlight cost-effectiveness for decision makers who determine sustainability. This is the first study to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of health endeavors in Sheds. All costs from pre-implementation to maintenance phases were gathered, and questionnaires incorporating the SF-6D were administered to participants ( n = 421) at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months. Then, utility scores were generated to determine quality-adjusted life years (QALYS). Results demonstrate that the intervention group experienced an average 3.3% gain in QALYS from baseline to 3 months and a further 2% gain from 3 months to 6 months at an estimated cost per QALY of €15,724. These findings highlight that Sheds for Life is a cost-effective initiative that effectively engages and enhances the well-being of Shed members.

Keywords: men’s health; economic evaluation; cost-effectiveness; community; men’s sheds (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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