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Healthcare savings from reduced constipation rates attributed to increased dietary fiber intakes: a decision‐analytic model (813.5)
Author(s) -
Miller Paige,
Schmier Jordana,
Levine Jessica,
Perez Vanessa,
Maki Kevin,
Rains Tia,
Devareddy Latha,
Sanders Lisa,
Alexander Dominik
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.28.1_supplement.813.5
Subject(s) - constipation , medicine , dietary fiber , environmental health , consumption (sociology) , food science , biology , social science , sociology
The present study estimated the economic impact of increased dietary fiber consumption on direct medical costs associated with constipation in the U.S. using a decision‐analytic model. The model was developed with the following input parameters from the peer‐reviewed literature: prevalence of functional constipation; current dietary fiber intakes; proportion meeting recommended intakes; proportion expected to experience constipation alleviation with increased dietary fiber consumption; and annual direct medical costs updated to U.S. $ 2012. Sensitivity analyses explored the model robustness to each parameter. Direct medical cost‐savings was $12.7 billion annually among adults. This base case model assumed that 3% of men and 6% of women currently met recommended dietary fiber intakes; each 1 g/d increase in dietary fiber intake reduced constipation prevalence by 1.9%; and all adults would increase dietary fiber intakes to 25 g/d. Sensitivity analyses found that even if only 50% of the adult population increased dietary fiber intake by 3g/d, annual medical costs savings would exceed $2 billion. All plausible scenarios resulted in cost savings of at least $1 billion. The finding that the simple, realistic change of increasing dietary fiber intakes could result in cost savings exceeding $12.7 billion is promising and highlights the need for strategies to increase dietary fiber intakes.