Decision analysis for the long-term effectiveness of a community-based intervention to prevent obesity: an EUREGIO project

Abstract Objectives This study, funded by the EUREGIO-EFH project, aims to evaluate the long-term health impacts of a community-based intervention (CBI) to prevent overweight and obesity among children in Austria, as compared to no intervention. Methods We developed a state-transition decision-analytic model (DAM) for obesity to evaluate the lifetime health outcomes, including quality-adjusted life years (QALY) and life years (LY), of a selected CBI in comparison to no intervention for a hypothetical cohort of 8-year-old children in Austria. Input parameters were derived from the published literature. Sensitivity analyses for various parameters were performed to examine the robustness of the results. Results In the base-case analysis, the CBI provided a lifetime gain of 0.041 LYs and 0.169 QALYs per individual versus no intervention. In sensitivity analyses, the outcomes were most sensitive to the intervention effect. Conclusions The results suggest that the CBI improves quality-adjusted life expectancy and slightly increases life expectancy compared to no intervention. Policy implications The developed DAM may be used to compare alternative strategies aimed at preventing overweight and obesity to aid policy makers in evidence-based healthcare decisions in the EUREGIO regions.