Economic evaluation of a national vitamin D supplementation program among Iranian adolescents for the prevention of adulthood type 2 diabetes mellitus

• Published in: BMC complementary and alternative medicine 2022-01, Vol.22 (1), p.1-1, Article 1
• Main Authors: Zandieh, Narges, Hemami, Mohsen Rezaei, Darvishi, Ali, Hasheminejad, Seyed Mohammad, Abdollahi, Zahra, Zarei, Maryam, Heshmat, Ramin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescents; Alfacalcidol; Calcifediol; Calciferol; Chronic illnesses; Cost analysis; Cost-effectiveness; Costs; Decision analysis; Decision trees; Diabetes; Diabetes management; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetes mellitus (non-insulin dependent); Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - etiology; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - prevention & control; Diet therapy; Dietary supplements; Dietary Supplements - economics; Economic aspects; Evaluation; Health care expenditures; Health risks; Horizon; Humans; Iran; National Health Programs - economics; National program; Nutrition; Patients; Prevention; Quality assessment; Quality of life; Software; Students; Supplements; Teenagers; Type 2 diabetes; Vitamin D; Vitamin D - administration & dosage; Vitamin D supplementation; Vitamin deficiency; Youth
• ISSN: 2662-7671; 2662-7671; 1472-6882
• DOI: 10.1186/s12906-021-03474-0

This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation in preventing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) among Iranian adolescents. This analytical observational study was conducted, using the decision tree model constructed in TreeAge Pro to assess the cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) of monthly intake vitamin D supplements to prevent T2DM compared to no intervention from the viewpoint of Iran's Ministry of Health and through an one-year horizon. In the national program of vitamin D supplementation, 1,185,211 Iranian high-school students received 50,000 IU vitamin D supplements monthly for nine months. The costs-related data were modified to 2018. The average cost and effectiveness were compared based on the Incremental Cost-Effectiveness Ratio (ICER). Our analytical analysis estimated the 4071.25 (USD / QALY) cost per AQALY gained of the monthly intake of 50,000 IU vitamin D for nine months among adolescents over a one-year horizon. Based on the ICER threshold of 1032-2666, vitamin D supplementation was cost-effective for adolescents to prevent adulthood T2DM. It means that vitamin D supplementation costs were substantially less than the costs of T2DM treatments than the no intervention. Based on the findings, the national vitamin D supplementation program for Iranian adolescents could be a cost-effective strategy to reduce the risk of diabetes in adulthood. From an economic perspective, vitamin D supplementation, especially in adolescents with vitamin D deficiency, would be administrated.