Does age modify the cost-effectiveness of community-based physical activity interventions?

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Economics
• Preventive Medicine

Background:

• Community-based physical activity (PA) interventions are generally cost-effective.
• Economic evaluations specific to middle-aged adults are needed for tailored PA promotion strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the cost-effectiveness (CE) of community-level PA interventions in middle-aged adults (50-64 years) compared to younger adults (25-64 years).
• To inform the design and delivery of targeted PA promotion programs.

Main Methods:

• A Markov model was utilized to estimate the CE of 7 PA interventions over a 20-year period.
• Cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) was calculated for different age groups.
• Sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the robustness of the findings.

Main Results:

• Intervention CE in adults aged 25-64 years ranged from $42,456/QALY to $145,868/QALY.
• Interventions were 38% to 47% more cost-effective in middle-aged adults (50-64 years).
• Four out of seven interventions had a >90% probability of being below $125,000/QALY for middle-aged adults.

Conclusions:

• Community-based PA promotion interventions demonstrate particular cost-effectiveness in middle-aged adults.
• Prioritizing PA initiatives for this demographic represents an efficient allocation of societal resources.