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  • Title: Cost-effectiveness of a home-based environmental intervention for inner-city children with asthma.
    Author: Kattan M, Stearns SC, Crain EF, Stout JW, Gergen PJ, Evans R, Visness CM, Gruchalla RS, Morgan WJ, O'Connor GT, Mastin JP, Mitchell HE.
    Journal: J Allergy Clin Immunol; 2005 Nov; 116(5):1058-63. PubMed ID: 16275376.
    Abstract:
    BACKGROUND: Exposure to indoor allergens contributes to increased asthma morbidity. The Inner-City Asthma Study, a randomized trial involving home environmental allergen and irritant remediation among children aged 6 through 11 years with moderate-to-severe asthma, successfully reduced asthma symptoms. A cost-effectiveness analysis can help stakeholders to evaluate the potential costs and benefits of adopting such a program. OBJECTIVE: We sought to assess the cost-effectiveness of the environmental intervention of the Inner-City Asthma Study. METHODS: Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios for a 2-year study period were calculated. Health outcome was measured as symptom-free days. Resource use measures included ambulatory visits, hospitalizations, and pharmaceutical use. CIs were obtained by using bootstrapping. RESULTS: The intervention, which cost $1469 per family, led to statistically significant reductions in symptom days, unscheduled clinic visits, and use of beta-agonist inhalers. Over the year of the intervention and a year of follow-up, the intervention cost was $27.57 per additional symptom-free day (95% CI, $7.46-$67.42). Subgroup analysis showed that targeting the intervention to selected high-risk subgroups did not reduce the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. CONCLUSIONS: A targeted home-based environmental intervention improved health and reduced service use in inner-city children with moderate-to-severe asthma. The intervention is cost-effective when the aim is to reduce asthma symptom days and the associated costs.
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