Accepted for/Published in: JMIR mHealth and uHealth
Date Submitted: Jan 28, 2020
Date Accepted: Apr 19, 2020
Health gain, cost impacts and cost-effectiveness of a mass media campaign to promote smartphone apps for physical activity: modelling study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Physical activity smartphone apps are a promising strategy to increase population physical activity, but it is unclear whether government mass media campaigns to promote these apps would be a cost-effective use of public funds.
Objective:
We aimed to estimate the health impacts, costs and cost-effectiveness of a one-off national mass media campaign to promote use of physical activity apps.
Methods:
We used an established multi-state life table model to estimate the lifetime health gains (in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs)) that would accrue if New Zealand (NZ) adults were exposed to a one-off national mass media campaign to promote physical activity app use, with a one year impact on physical activity. A health system perspective was used to assess cost-effectiveness and a 3% discount rate was applied to future health gains and health system costs.
Results:
The modelled intervention resulted in 28 QALYs (95% Uncertainty Interval (UI): 8 to 72) gained at a cost of NZ$81,000/QALY (2018US$59,500; 95%UI: NZ$17,000 to NZ$345,000), over the remaining life course of the NZ population. The intervention had a low probability (20%) of being cost-effective at a cost-effectiveness threshold of NZ$45,000 per QALY. The health impact and cost-effectiveness of the intervention was highly sensitive to assumptions around the maintenance of physical activity behaviours beyond the duration of the intervention.
Conclusions:
A mass media campaign to promote smartphone apps for physical activity seems unlikely to generate much health gain or be cost-effective at the population level. Other investments to promote physical activity, particularly those that result in sustained behaviour change, are likely to have greater health impacts. Clinical Trial: Not applicable
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