PMID: 16512321Mar 4, 2006Paper

Economic gains of a home fortification program: evaluation of "Sprinkles" from the provider's perspective

Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne De Santé Publique
Waseem SharieffStanley H Zlotkin

Abstract

This paper models the effects of a home-fortification program (using Sprinkles which contain zinc and iron and other micronutrients), in Pakistan, a country with high levels of infant mortality, anemia, and diarrhea. It uses the results of randomized trials of the effect of Sprinkles on anemia and on longitudinal prevalence of diarrhea. Based on previous literature, the effect of Sprinkles on intermediate outcomes (diarrhea and anemia) is linked to longer-term outcomes (infant and young child mortality, and cognitive achievement and hence adult wages). Three different measures of cost effectiveness are presented: the cost per death averted (effect via zinc supplementation on reduction of longitudinal prevalence of diarrhea); the cost per 'disability adjusted life year' (DALY) saved (same modality); and the gain in earnings due to higher cognitive functioning for each dollar spent (effect via iron supplementation on reduced anemia). We estimated that the cost per death averted is dollars406 (dollars273-dollars3248), the cost per DALY saved is dollars12.2 (dollars8-dollars97) and the present value of the gain in earnings is dollars37 (dollars18-dollars51) for each dollar spent on the Sprinkles program. These estimates were develo...Continue Reading

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Anemia

Anemia develops when your blood lacks enough healthy red blood cells. Anemia of inflammation (AI, also called anemia of chronic disease) is a common, typically normocytic, normochromic anemia that is caused by an underlying inflammatory disease. Here is the latest research on anemia.