Details:

Alternative Title:
Am J Prev Med
Personal Author:
Grosse, Scott D. ; Berry, Robert J. ; Tilford, J. Mick ; Kucik, James E. ; Waitzman, Norman J.
Grosse, Scott D. ; Berry, Robert J. ; Tilford, J. Mick ; Kucik, James E. ; Waitzman, Norman J. Less -
Description:
Introduction

Although fortification of food with folic acid has been calculated to be cost saving in the U.S., updated estimates are needed. This analysis calculates new estimates from the societal perspective of net cost savings per year associated with mandatory folic acid fortification of enriched cereal grain products in the U.S. that was implemented during 1997–1998.

Methods

Estimates of annual numbers of live-born spina bifida cases in 1995–1996 relative to 1999–2011 based on birth defects surveillance data were combined during 2015 with published estimates of the present value of lifetime direct costs updated in 2014 U.S. dollars for a live-born infant with spina bifida to estimate avoided direct costs and net cost savings.

Results

The fortification mandate is estimated to have reduced the annual number of U.S. live-born spina bifida cases by 767, with a lower-bound estimate of 614. The present value of mean direct lifetime cost per infant with spina bifida is estimated to be $791,900, or $577,000 excluding caregiving costs. Using a best estimate of numbers of avoided live-born spina bifida cases, fortification is estimated to reduce the present value of total direct costs for each year's birth cohort by $603 million more than the cost of fortification. A lower-bound estimate of cost savings using conservative assumptions, including the upper-bound estimate of fortification cost, is $299 million.

Conclusions

The estimates of cost savings are larger than previously reported, even using conservative assumptions. The analysis can also inform assessments of folic acid fortification in other countries.


Subjects:
[+]
Article Cost Savings Female Folic Acid Food, Fortified Humans Infant Pregnancy Prevalence Retrospective Studies Spinal Dysraphism
Source:
Am J Prev Med. 50(5 Suppl 1):S74-S80.
Pubmed ID:
26790341
Pubmed Central ID:
PMC4841731
Document Type:
Journal Article
Funding:
CC999999/Intramural CDC HHS/United States
Collection(s):
CDC Public Access
Main Document Checksum:
[+]
urn:sha256:7d40e7c70ab4a28829cc4b6b83a4551715ec79ca98679e90ccce1b6fdb9926c1
Download URL:
https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/39084/cdc_39084_DS1.pdf
File Type:

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