Cost‐Effectiveness of a Novel Sleep Intervention in Infancy to Prevent Overweight in Childhood

Objective The purpose of this study was to determine, from a health funder perspective, whether a sleep intervention, delivered in infancy, either alone or in combination with food, activity, and breastfeeding advice was cost‐effective compared with usual care. Methods A cost‐effectiveness analysis was conducted alongside the Prevention of Overweight in Infancy (POI) randomized controlled trial for outcomes at 5 years and cost‐effectiveness was modeled to age 15 years using the Early Prevention of Obesity in Childhood microsimulation model. Intervention costs for the Sleep ( n  = 192), Combination ( n  = 196), and control ( n  = 209) groups were determined in 2018 Australian dollars. Incremental cost‐effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were determined for BMI outcomes at 5 and 15 years, with the primary outcome being quality‐adjusted life years (QALYs) modeled over 15 years. Results The average costs of the Sleep and Combination interventions were $184 and $601 per child, respectively. The ICER for the Sleep intervention was $18,125 per QALY gained, with a 74% probability of being cost‐effective at a willingness‐to‐pay threshold of $50,000 per QALY. The ICER for the Combination intervention was $94,667 per QALY gained with a 23% probability of being cost‐effective. Conclusions The POI Sleep intervention, without additional advice, was a low‐cost and cost‐effective approach to reducing childhood obesity. Sleep modification programs offer a very promising approach to obesity prevention in children.