Abstract
Interventions targeting portion size and energy density of food and beverage products have been identified as a promising approach for obesity prevention. This study modelled the potential cost-effectiveness of: a package size cap on single-serve sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) >375 mL (package size cap), and product reformulation to reduce energy content of packaged SSBs (energy reduction). The cost-effectiveness of each intervention was modelled for the 2010 Australia population using a multi-state life table Markov model with a lifetime time horizon. Long-term health outcomes were modelled from calculated changes in body mass index to their impact on Health-Adjusted Life Years (HALYs). Intervention costs were estimated from a limited societal perspective. Cost and health outcomes were discounted at 3%. Total intervention costs estimated in AUD 2010 were AUD 210 million. Both interventions resulted in reduced mean body weight (package size cap: 0.12 kg; energy reduction: 0.23 kg); and HALYs gained (package size cap: 73,883; energy reduction: 144,621). Cost offsets were estimated at AUD 750.8 million (package size cap) and AUD 1.4 billion (energy reduction). Cost-effectiveness analyses showed that both interventions were “dominant”, and likely to result in long term cost savings and health benefits. A package size cap and kJ reduction of SSBs are likely to offer excellent “value for money” as obesity prevention measures in Australia.
Highlights
Over the past 30–40 years, the portion-size of many packaged food and beverage products has increased significantly [1,2,3,4,5,6]
The sustained provision of large portion sizes of nutrient poor but energy dense foods and beverages may be an important contributor to obesity and non-communicable diseases (NCD) [8,11]
Of the sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) currently sold in Australia, we estimated that 27% of all SSBs sold were single-serve
Summary
Over the past 30–40 years, the portion-size of many packaged food and beverage products has increased significantly [1,2,3,4,5,6]. Package and portion size are known to influence the quantity of food an individual selects and consumes [5,6,7]. To-date, the majority of initiatives targeting portion size have been voluntary, with uptake at the discretion of the food industry [15]. These interventions have targeted portion size in two main ways: (i) through a reduction in the quantity of the product provided, predominantly through a change in package size; or (ii) by reducing the energy density per serve of the food or beverage product (reformulation) [15]
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