A systematic review of economic evaluations involving childhood obesity
| dc.contributor.advisor | Sinanovic, Edina | |
| dc.contributor.author | Kettles, Killoran | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-11-24T13:46:53Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-11-24T13:46:53Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025 | |
| dc.date.updated | 2025-11-24T11:54:16Z | |
| dc.description.abstract | 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 | |
| dc.identifier.apacitation | Kettles, K. (2025). <i>A systematic review of economic evaluations involving childhood obesity</i>. (). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Health Sciences ,Health Economics Unit. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42321 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.chicagocitation | Kettles, Killoran. <i>"A systematic review of economic evaluations involving childhood obesity."</i> ., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Health Sciences ,Health Economics Unit, 2025. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42321 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.citation | Kettles, K. 2025. A systematic review of economic evaluations involving childhood obesity. . University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Health Sciences ,Health Economics Unit. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42321 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.ris | TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Kettles, Killoran AB - 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 DA - 2025 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town KW - childhood obesity LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2025 T1 - A systematic review of economic evaluations involving childhood obesity TI - A systematic review of economic evaluations involving childhood obesity UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42321 ER - | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42321 | |
| dc.identifier.vancouvercitation | Kettles K. A systematic review of economic evaluations involving childhood obesity. []. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Health Sciences ,Health Economics Unit, 2025 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42321 | en_ZA |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.language.rfc3066 | eng | |
| dc.publisher.department | Health Economics Unit | |
| dc.publisher.faculty | Faculty of Health Sciences | |
| dc.publisher.institution | University of Cape Town | |
| dc.subject | childhood obesity | |
| dc.title | A systematic review of economic evaluations involving childhood obesity | |
| dc.type | Thesis / Dissertation | |
| dc.type.qualificationlevel | Masters | |
| dc.type.qualificationlevel | MPH |