Is the cost-effectiveness of an early-childhood sleep intervention to prevent obesity affected by socioeconomic position?

ObjectiveThis study aimed to determine whether the cost-effectiveness of an infant sleep intervention from the Prevention of Overweight in Infancy (POI) trial was influenced by socioeconomic position (SEP). MethodsAn SEP-specific economic evaluation of the sleep intervention was conducted. SEP-specific intervention costs and effects at age 5 years, derived from the trial data, were applied to a representative cohort of 4,898 4- to 5-year-old Australian children. Quality-adjusted life years and health care costs were simulated until age 17 years using a purpose-built SEP-specific model. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios and acceptability curves were derived for each SEP group. ResultsThe incremental cost-effectiveness ratios, in Australian dollars per quality-adjusted life year gained, were smaller in the low- ($23,010) and mid-SEP ($18,206) groups compared with the high-SEP group ($31,981). The probability that the intervention was cost-effective was very high in the low- and mid-SEP groups (92%-100%) and moderately high in the high-SEP group (79%). ConclusionsAn infant sleep intervention is more cost-effective in low- and mid-SEP groups compared with high-SEP groups. Targeting this intervention to low-SEP groups would not require trade-offs between efficiency and equity.

Automated summary

This study aimed to determine whether the cost-effectiveness of an infant sleep intervention from the Prevention of Overweight in Infancy (POI) trial was influenced by socioeconomic position (SEP). The study found that the infant sleep intervention was more cost-effective in low and mid socioeconomic position groups.