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Development and implementation cost analysis of telephone- and Internet-based interventions for the maintenance of weight loss.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Meenan, RT; Stevens, VJ; Funk, K; Bauck, A; Jerome, GJ; Lien, LF; Appel, L; Hollis, JF; Brantley, PJ; Svetkey, LP
Published in: Int J Technol Assess Health Care
July 2009

OBJECTIVES: The Weight Loss Maintenance Trial (WLM) was a multicenter, randomized trial comparing two weight loss maintenance interventions, a personal contact (PC) program with primarily telephone-based monthly contacts, and an Internet-based program (interactive technology, IT), to a self-directed control group, among overweight or obese individuals at high cardiovascular risk. This study describes implementation costs of both interventions as well as IT development costs. METHODS: Resources were micro-costed in 2006 dollars from the primary perspective of a sponsoring healthcare system considering adopting an extant intervention, rather than developing its own. Costs were discounted at 3 percent annually. Length of trial participation was 30 months (randomization during February-November 2004). IT development costs were assessed over 36 months. Univariate and multivariate, including probabilistic, sensitivity analyses were performed. RESULTS: Total discounted IT development costs over 36 months were $839,949 ($2,414 per IT participant). Discounted 30-month implementation costs for 342 PC participants were $537,242 ($1,571 per participant), and for 348 IT participants, were $214,879 ($617 per participant). Under all plausible scenarios, PC implementation costs exceeded IT implementation costs. CONCLUSIONS: Costs of implementing and operating an Internet-based intervention for weight loss maintenance were substantially less than analogous costs of an intervention using standard phone and in-person contacts and are of a magnitude that would be attractive to many health systems, subject to demonstration of cost-effectiveness.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Int J Technol Assess Health Care

DOI

EISSN

1471-6348

Publication Date

July 2009

Volume

25

Issue

3

Start / End Page

400 / 410

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Weight Loss
  • Telephone
  • Self Efficacy
  • Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
  • Multicenter Studies as Topic
  • Motivation
  • Internet
  • Humans
  • Health Policy & Services
  • Costs and Cost Analysis
 

Citation

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Meenan, R. T., Stevens, V. J., Funk, K., Bauck, A., Jerome, G. J., Lien, L. F., … Svetkey, L. P. (2009). Development and implementation cost analysis of telephone- and Internet-based interventions for the maintenance of weight loss. Int J Technol Assess Health Care, 25(3), 400–410. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266462309990018
Meenan, Richard T., Victor J. Stevens, Kristine Funk, Alan Bauck, Gerald J. Jerome, Lillian F. Lien, Lawrence Appel, Jack F. Hollis, Phillip J. Brantley, and Laura P. Svetkey. “Development and implementation cost analysis of telephone- and Internet-based interventions for the maintenance of weight loss.Int J Technol Assess Health Care 25, no. 3 (July 2009): 400–410. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266462309990018.
Meenan RT, Stevens VJ, Funk K, Bauck A, Jerome GJ, Lien LF, et al. Development and implementation cost analysis of telephone- and Internet-based interventions for the maintenance of weight loss. Int J Technol Assess Health Care. 2009 Jul;25(3):400–10.
Meenan, Richard T., et al. “Development and implementation cost analysis of telephone- and Internet-based interventions for the maintenance of weight loss.Int J Technol Assess Health Care, vol. 25, no. 3, July 2009, pp. 400–10. Pubmed, doi:10.1017/S0266462309990018.
Meenan RT, Stevens VJ, Funk K, Bauck A, Jerome GJ, Lien LF, Appel L, Hollis JF, Brantley PJ, Svetkey LP. Development and implementation cost analysis of telephone- and Internet-based interventions for the maintenance of weight loss. Int J Technol Assess Health Care. 2009 Jul;25(3):400–410.
Journal cover image

Published In

Int J Technol Assess Health Care

DOI

EISSN

1471-6348

Publication Date

July 2009

Volume

25

Issue

3

Start / End Page

400 / 410

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Weight Loss
  • Telephone
  • Self Efficacy
  • Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
  • Multicenter Studies as Topic
  • Motivation
  • Internet
  • Humans
  • Health Policy & Services
  • Costs and Cost Analysis