Economic analysis of community interventions to increase physical activity

Sedentary lifestyles represent a major threat to public health in the U.S. There is now a sizeable body of evidence regarding the effectiveness of community-wide interventions to increase physical activity, as demonstrated by the recent review and recommendations of the Task Force on Community Preventive Services. The next step to making this a more effective, policy-informing tool is to build in the comparative cost effectiveness of the different types of interventions. The purpose of this project is to: model and analyze the intervention costs; compare the ratios of incremental costs to incremental benefits; disseminate those results to policy makers and other stakeholders in a concise user-friendly manner; and explore developing tools for assessing the health impact of policy decisions by nonhealth sectors (e.g., transportation, school sites) on physical activity levels based on the growing body of knowledge in this area. An experienced team of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) staff with expertise in the area of physical activity will collaborate closely with an advisory working group bringing high-level field experts in health economics, decision analysis, evidence-based reviews, and health impact assessment. This project will be considered successful if it results in: (1) a comparative assessment of the costs and impact of evidence-based, community-wide interventions to increase physical activity that is used by decision makers; and (2) builds the field of health impact assessment specific to effects on physical activity and consequent health status at a community level.

Grant Details

Amount Awarded $746,626.00

Awarded on: 2/12/2003

Time frame: 3/1/2003 - 8/31/2006

Grant Number: 47521