Related Experiment Videos
Sino-Canadian Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative in China: an economic evaluation protocol
Yulai Zhou1,2, Hua Zhou3, He-Feng Huang2
1Department of Obstetrics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Affiliated International Peace Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Shanghai, China.
BMJ Open
|May 26, 2026
Summary
Childhood overweight and obesity is a growing concern in China. This study evaluates a multifaceted intervention to reduce obesity and related risks in children, assessing its cost-effectiveness and long-term impacts.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Health Economics
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Childhood overweight and obesity (OWO) presents a significant public health challenge in China, particularly in urban areas.
- Rising OWO rates are linked to urbanization and economic development, threatening children's health and development.
- Existing prevention models from high-income countries may not be suitable for the Chinese context.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline the economic evaluation of the Sino-Canadian Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (SCHeLTI) trial.
- To assess the cost-effectiveness and long-term economic and health impacts of a multifaceted intervention for childhood OWO.
- To analyze the equity impact of the intervention across different socioeconomic groups.
Main Methods:
- A within-trial economic evaluation and long-term modeling from healthcare and societal perspectives.
- Comparison of a multifaceted intervention against usual care, including costs of provision, implementation, and household expenditures.
- Measurement of child and maternal quality of life, growth, cognitive/behavioral development, nutritional status, and metabolic indicators.
Main Results:
- Cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analyses will be performed using incremental cost-effectiveness ratios.
- A decision-analytical model will project long-term economic and health outcomes.
- Sensitivity analyses (one-way and probabilistic) will ensure the robustness of the findings.
Conclusions:
- The economic evaluation will provide crucial data on the value of the SCHeLTI intervention.
- Findings will inform early childhood development policy in China and globally.
- The study aims to mitigate childhood OWO and associated non-communicable disease risks effectively.
Related Concept Videos
01:20Study Designs in Epidemiology
Epidemiological study designs are fundamental tools for investigating the distribution, determinants, and control of health conditions in populations. They help researchers understand the relationships between exposures and outcomes, and they broadly fall into two categories: "observational" and "experimental" studies.
Observational studies are those where the researcher does not intervene but rather observes natural variations. They include cross-sectional, cohort, and case-control studies.
Observational studies are those where the researcher does not intervene but rather observes natural variations. They include cross-sectional, cohort, and case-control studies.
01:15Bioavailability Study Design: Healthy Subjects Versus Patients
Bioavailability studies are essential for evaluating a drug's therapeutic efficacy and understanding its absorption patterns under various physiological conditions. Conducting such studies on target patient populations provides more relevant data by simulating real-world disease states. However, practical challenges often necessitate the use of young, healthy adult volunteers as study subjects.Patients may exhibit altered drug absorption patterns due to the effects of the disease itself,...