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Assessing the Lifetime Cost-Effectiveness of Low-Protein Infant Formula as Early Obesity Prevention Strategy: The
Diana Sonntag1,2, Freia De Bock3,4, Martina Totzauer5
1Mannheim Institute of Public Health, Social and Preventive Medicine, Mannheim Medical Faculty of the Heidelberg University, 68167 Mannheim, Germany. mail@diana-sonntag.eu.de.
Insights
Lower protein (LP) infant formula is a cost-effective obesity prevention strategy. This approach offers significant long-term savings, potentially saving billions in healthcare costs associated with childhood obesity.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Health Economics
Background:
- Limited long-term effectiveness of existing childhood obesity prevention programs.
- Scarcity of data on lifetime cost-effectiveness of early prevention strategies.
- Need for effective infant feeding modifications to mitigate obesity risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the lifetime cost-effectiveness of infant feeding modification.
- To evaluate infant formula protein content as an obesity prevention strategy.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a two-part simulation model incorporating data from the European Childhood Obesity Project (CHOP) and German Interview and Examination Survey for Children (KiGGS).
- Model I evaluated Body Mass Index (BMI) trajectories for infants receiving lower protein (LP) versus higher protein (HP) formula.
- Model II estimated lifetime cost-effectiveness based on BMI trajectories.
Main Results:
- Lower protein (LP) formula feeding is projected to incur lower costs related to childhood obesity throughout life compared to higher protein (HP) formula.
- The LP formula strategy demonstrates cost-effectiveness with a positive net monetary benefit.
- Estimated cost savings of €2.5 billion for the 19% of infants in Germany fed formula.
Conclusions:
- This study provides novel cost-effectiveness evidence for infant feeding modification as an obesity prevention method.
- Findings suggest that LP formula is a viable and economically beneficial strategy.
- Encourages interventionists to reconsider resource allocation for early obesity prevention.
Background:
Although there is a growing number of early childhood obesity prevention programs, only a few of them are effective in the long run. Even fewer reports exist on lifetime cost-effectiveness of early prevention strategies. This paper aimed to assess the lifetime cost-effectiveness of infant feeding modification aiming at reducing risk of later obesity.
Methods:
The simulation model consists of two parts: (a) Model I used data from the European Childhood Obesity Project (CHOP) trial (up to 6 years) and the German Interview and Examination Survey for Children (KiGGS) (6-17 years) to evaluate BMI trajectories of infants receiving either lower protein (LP) or higher protein (HP) content formula; and (b) Model II estimated lifetime cost-effectiveness based on Model I BMI trajectories. Compared to HP formula, LP formula feeding would incur lower costs that are attributable to childhood obesity across all decades of life.
Results:
Our analysis showed that LP formula would be cost-effective in terms of a positive net monetary benefit (discounted 3%) as an obesity prevention strategy. For the 19% of infants fed with formula in Germany, the LP strategy would result in cost savings of € 2.5 billion.
Conclusions:
Our study is one of the first efforts to provide much-needed cost-effectiveness evidence of infant feeding modification, thereby potentially motivating interventionists to reassess their resource allocation.
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