Cost-benefit analysis of the ‘Planning Health in School’ programme to prevent children’s obesity

Abstract

This study evaluates the cost-benefits of the ‘Planning Health in School’ programme (PHS-pro), which was implemented for one-year in a follow-up non-randomized parallel-group trial that promoted healthy eating and active living in Portuguese children of 10-14 years. Anthropometric outcomes (height, weight, waist circumference- WC, BMI and waist-height-ratio- WHtR) and behaviour changes in 219 intervention children (IC) were compared to 230 controls children (CC). A standard economic evaluation was used to determine the cost-benefits of the intervention, following the societal perspective approach. PHS-pro intervention costs were estimated and compared to the direct costs of treating obese adults in Portugal based on a Portuguese study (Ribeiro V. 2010). The net benefit was measured by subtracting the delivery costs of the intervention per child from the total averted medical costs associated to treat an adult obese in Portugal. The findings provided evidence that the PHS-pro cost-benefits were economically feasible. The PHS-pro can be of beneficial investment to prevent overweight over in childhood and adolescence, developmental stages that determine adulthood free of chronic diseases.