Preventing Childhood Obesity - Evidence Policy and Practice.pdf

CHAPTER 20
Economic e valuation of o besity i nterventions
Marj Moodie and Rob Carter
Deakin Health Economics, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Summary and recommendations
for research
• To date, most health economics studies have focused
on “describing ” and “predicting ” the magnitude of
the obesity problem. This type of economic study
alone does little to address the issue of obesity.
• T he fi ght against obesity requires a “solutions-based ”
rather than a “problem-focused ” approach. The
economic evaluation of specific interventions and
strategies to reduce the obesity problem offers the
most valuable contribution of health economics.
• Rigorous evaluation of potential interventions is
important so that policy - makers know “ what
works ” and “what offers value for money ” . However,
interventions with the best prospects for preventing
obesity are likely to pose particular challenges for
economic evaluation.
• Furthermore, economists must move beyond evaluation
of single interventions to priority setting, and
assist in the packaging of interventions into coordinated
obesity prevention strategies.
Introduction
Why should economists work in the field of obesity
prevention? What wisdom can they bring to bear on
the issue that could make a difference to the prevalence
and consequences of obesity? This chapter
explores the role and content of economic analysis,
summarizes the contribution which the discipline
Preventing Childhood Obesity. Edited by
E. Waters, B.A. Swinburn, J.C. Seidell and R. Uauy.
© 2010 Blackwell Publishing.
currently makes, and considers the contribution it
could make to the fight against obesity. It draws on
current research activity in the field to illustrate some
of the specific methodological challenges that confront
health economists working in the obesity field,
and discusses the directions which economic research
needs to take if the discipline is to make a positive and
effective contribution to the search for solutions to the
obesity crisis.
Why i nvolve e conomics?
To assess the credentials of health economics to make
a contribution, one must first appreciate the nature
of economics and the roles which it performs. The
fundamental problem addressed by economists is
the allocation of scarce resources between competing
demands — that is, how to maximize community
welfare with available resources. In addressing
resource scarcity, economists carry out four separate
but interrelated tasks: “description ” , “prediction ” ,
“explanation ” and “evaluation ” .
1
Describing and p rojecting the c ost
b urden of o besity
Economics enables us to “ describe ” current activities,
health status and resource use, and to “ predict ” future
trends in the same. To date, most of health economics ’
contribution to obesity prevention has centered on
these two aspects. The past decade has seen a proliferation
of descriptive studies which either documented
the size of the disease and cost burden
attributable to obesity in particular demographic
groups or geographical jurisdictions, or made
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