Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Family-based, behavioral treatment has been shown to be an effective intervention for the management of pediatric obesity. The goal of this study was to compare the cost-effectiveness of two protocols for the delivery of family-based behavioral treatment.
REASEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Thirty-one families with obese children were randomized to groups in which families were provided mixed treatment incorporating both group and individualized treatment vs group treatment only. Cost-effectiveness of treatment was defined as the magnitude of reduction in standardized BMI and percentage overweight per dollar spent for recruitment and treatment. Anthropometric data were assessed at baseline, 6 months and 12 months post-randomization.
RESULTS: Results for the 24 families with complete data showed the group intervention was significantly more cost-effective than the mixed treatment. This was due to the similarity between the two groups in Z-BMI or percentage overweight change for children and their parents, while the mixed treatment was significantly more expensive to deliver than the group treatment.
DISCUSSION: These findings suggest that a family-based, behavioral intervention employing group treatment alone is a more cost-effective approach to treating pediatric obesity than a mixed group plus individual format.
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Acknowledgements
Preparation of the manuscript was funded in part by grant DK 53849 awarded to Dr Epstein by the National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive Diseases, National Institute of Health.
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Goldfield, G., Epstein, L., Kilanowski, C. et al. Cost-effectiveness of group and mixed family-based treatment for childhood obesity. Int J Obes 25, 1843–1849 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801838
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801838
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