Cost-effectiveness of a primary care-based Healthy Weight Clinic compared with usual care

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Economics
• Pediatric Obesity

Background:

• Childhood obesity is a significant public health concern, particularly among underserved populations.
• Primary care settings offer opportunities for early intervention.
• Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) serve vulnerable communities and can be vital for implementing health initiatives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To project the cost-effectiveness of a national implementation of the Healthy Weight Clinic (HWC) intervention.
• To assess the potential impact of the HWC on childhood obesity prevalence across different racial and ethnic groups.
• To evaluate the economic implications from both healthcare and societal perspectives.

Main Methods:

• Microsimulation modeling of national HWC implementation in FQHCs from 2023-2032.
• Estimation of intervention costs from healthcare and societal viewpoints.
• Utilized BMI change estimates from the HWC trial and conducted probabilistic sensitivity analyses.

Main Results:

• Projected reach of 888,000 children over 10 years.
• Mean intervention cost of $456 per child (healthcare sector) and $211 (families).
• Estimated 2070 QALYs gained and $14.6 million in healthcare cost savings over 10 years, with a net cost of $278,000 per QALY gained.
• Projected greater obesity prevalence reductions in Hispanic/Latino and Black populations compared to White populations.

Conclusions:

• The Healthy Weight Clinic (HWC) presents a relatively low per-child cost.
• National implementation in FQHCs is projected to reduce childhood obesity disparities.
• The intervention demonstrates potential for significant public health impact and economic value.