Environmental Health Economic Analysis Annotated Bibliography
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Research articleAuthors
Kyle JW, Hammitt JK, Lim HW, Geller AC, Hall-Jordan LH, Maibach EW, De Fabo EC, and Wagner MC
Journal
Pediatrics
Summary
This cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis examined the costs, effectiveness, and benefits of the EPA's SunWise program. The researchers estimated that for every dollar invested in the program, $2 to 4 are potentially saved in medical costs and productivity losses. The findings suggested that it is worthwhile to educate children about sun safety and that small to modest behavioral impacts may result in significant reductions in skin cancer incidence and mortality.
Population
Children and adolescents (5-15 years)
Health Outcomes
- Cancer, Mortality
Health Outcome List:
- Cancer outcomes (skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, cutaneous malignant melanoma)
- premature death
Environmental Agents
List of Environmental Agents:
- Non-ionizing radiation (UV)
Source of Environmental Agents:
- Sunlight
Economic Evaluation / Methods and Source
Type:
- Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA), Cost-benefit analysis (CBA)
Cost Measures:
- Skin cancer cases
- program implementation costs (including the funding amount of the program)
Potential Cost Measures:
- Private costs
- cost of teachers’ time spent on SunWise
- community programs or parent influence
Benefits Measures:
- Averted premature deaths
- averted skin cancer cases
- quality adjusted life years (QALYs) saved
- return per dollar spent
- costs averted (equal to the cases averted multiplied by medical and productivity loss cost per case)
- medical care and productivity costs averted
Potential Benefits Measures:
- Impacts of other program components (i.e., SunWise Cities/Communities Program)
- change in impact if students receive SunWise lessons more than once
Location:
- Not available
Models Used:
- Atmospheric and Health Effects Framework Model (AHEF)
Models References:
- http://www.icfi.com/insights/products-and-tools/ahef-model
Methods Used:
- The authors used standard cost/benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis methods to assess the health and economic benefits of the EPA’s SunWise School Program. The authors — 1) measured intervention costs as program costs estimated to be incurred by the US government using three funding scenarios; 2) measured health outcomes as skin cancer cases and premature mortalities averted and QALYs; 3) modeled health outcomes using an effectiveness evaluation of SunWise based on pretest and posttest surveys administered to students who participated in the program and the EPA’s peer-reviewed Atmospheric and Health Effects Framework model; 4) measured costs averted as direct medical costs and costs of productivity losses averted as a result of SunWise; and 5) measured net benefits as the difference between costs averted and program costs.
Sources Used:
- National Human Activity Pattern Survey; US Environmental Protection Agency; US Bureau of Labor Statistics; Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (1999–2000); additional sources cited in publication
Economic Citation / Fundings
Citation:
- Kyle JW, Hammitt JK, Lim HW, Geller AC, Hall-Jordan LH, Maibach EW, De Fabo EC, and Wagner MC. Economic evaluation of the US Environmental Protection Agency's SunWise Program: sun protection education for young children. Pediatrics. 2008. 121; 5.
- Pubmed
- DOI
NIEHS Funding:
- Not available
Other Funding: Not available