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A systematic review of economic evaluations involving childhood obesity
BACKGROUND: Owing to the limited resources in developing countries, effective use of funds is necessary in the health care sector. Understanding the economic burden of prevalent health problems and ensuring cost-effective treatment thereof is, therefore, an important part of policy development. In d...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English English |
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Health Economics Unit
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613225450733568 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Kettles, Killoran |
| author2 | Sinanovic, Edina |
| author_browse | Kettles, Killoran Sinanovic, Edina |
| author_facet | Sinanovic, Edina Kettles, Killoran |
| author_sort | Kettles, Killoran |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | BACKGROUND: Owing to the limited resources in developing countries, effective use of funds is necessary in the health care sector. Understanding the economic burden of prevalent health problems and ensuring cost-effective treatment thereof is, therefore, an important part of policy development. In developing countries, childhood obesity is becoming increasingly prevalent and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. This study, therefore, examines the economic evaluations around childhood obesity and its interventions. METHODS: A search was conducted on PubMed. Economic evaluations reporting quantitative data were included in the review. Data was extracted and grouped according to common themes. Findings were then described and reported, highlighting similar findings and needs for further research. RESULTS: 105 eligible articles were included in the systematic review. Of these articles, 39 assessed the economic consequences of childhood obesity, with 27 focusing on healthcare costs thereof. The other 66 studies were largely cost-effectiveness analyses of various interventions. The studies examining economic consequences demonstrated that children who were classified as overweight or obese had higher healthcare expenditures than their healthy weight counterparts. Key findings regarding interventions illustrated that the following are cost-effective in addressing childhood obesity: early childhood interventions, school-based interventions targeting physical activity, sleep interventions and policy changes. The lack of studies conducted in low and middle-income countries highlighted the need for further research. CONCLUSION: It is evident that childhood obesity is a pressing health concern with substantial economic consequences within the healthcare sector. Various interventions have been studied, with regards to their effectiveness at managing this illness. Early childhood interventions and school-based programs seemed to have the most supporting evidence regarding their economic benefits; however, further research is needed to determine their comparative effectiveness and their effectiveness in resource-limited settings |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/42321 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | English eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:32:45.765Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Health Economics Unit |
| publisherStr | Health Economics Unit |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/42321 A systematic review of economic evaluations involving childhood obesity Kettles, Killoran Sinanovic, Edina childhood obesity BACKGROUND: Owing to the limited resources in developing countries, effective use of funds is necessary in the health care sector. Understanding the economic burden of prevalent health problems and ensuring cost-effective treatment thereof is, therefore, an important part of policy development. In developing countries, childhood obesity is becoming increasingly prevalent and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. This study, therefore, examines the economic evaluations around childhood obesity and its interventions. METHODS: A search was conducted on PubMed. Economic evaluations reporting quantitative data were included in the review. Data was extracted and grouped according to common themes. Findings were then described and reported, highlighting similar findings and needs for further research. RESULTS: 105 eligible articles were included in the systematic review. Of these articles, 39 assessed the economic consequences of childhood obesity, with 27 focusing on healthcare costs thereof. The other 66 studies were largely cost-effectiveness analyses of various interventions. The studies examining economic consequences demonstrated that children who were classified as overweight or obese had higher healthcare expenditures than their healthy weight counterparts. Key findings regarding interventions illustrated that the following are cost-effective in addressing childhood obesity: early childhood interventions, school-based interventions targeting physical activity, sleep interventions and policy changes. The lack of studies conducted in low and middle-income countries highlighted the need for further research. CONCLUSION: It is evident that childhood obesity is a pressing health concern with substantial economic consequences within the healthcare sector. Various interventions have been studied, with regards to their effectiveness at managing this illness. Early childhood interventions and school-based programs seemed to have the most supporting evidence regarding their economic benefits; however, further research is needed to determine their comparative effectiveness and their effectiveness in resource-limited settings 2025-11-24T13:46:53Z 2025-11-24T13:46:53Z 2025 2025-11-24T11:54:16Z Thesis / Dissertation Masters MPH http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42321 en eng application/pdf Health Economics Unit Faculty of Health Sciences University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | childhood obesity Kettles, Killoran A systematic review of economic evaluations involving childhood obesity |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | A systematic review of economic evaluations involving childhood obesity |
| title_full | A systematic review of economic evaluations involving childhood obesity |
| title_fullStr | A systematic review of economic evaluations involving childhood obesity |
| title_full_unstemmed | A systematic review of economic evaluations involving childhood obesity |
| title_short | A systematic review of economic evaluations involving childhood obesity |
| title_sort | systematic review of economic evaluations involving childhood obesity |
| topic | childhood obesity |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42321 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kettleskilloran asystematicreviewofeconomicevaluationsinvolvingchildhoodobesity AT kettleskilloran systematicreviewofeconomicevaluationsinvolvingchildhoodobesity |