Economic impact and value of prevention of eating disorders in Sweden

Research problem and specific questions: Eating disorders (EDs) are some of the most severe and disabling mental health disorders, with impacts on individuals´ physical and mental health, and their work performance.

It is important to understand the economic impact of EDs on the healthcare system and the labour market, as well as estimate the potential cost-effectiveness of preventive ED interventions. To date, no work has been done on this topic using data from Sweden.

The purpose of this proposal is to understand the economic impact of EDs, and how these can be mitigated by preventive interventions in the Swedish context.

This will be achieved by 1) estimating the economic burden of EDs in Sweden (WP 1), 2) investigating the relationship between EDs and work performance (WP 2), and 3) conducting cost-effectiveness analyses of preventive interventions (WP 3).Data and method: This work will use population individual-level data from the National Quality Register for Eating Disorder Treatment linked to other Swedish registers.

State-of-the-art methods will be employed to answer the research questions.

In WP 1, the ‘net’ economic burden of EDs will be estimated using a case-control matched, bottom-up approach to produce both prevalence- and incidence-based cost estimates, which will then be modelled using generalized linear models.

In WP 2, pooled cross-sectional and longitudinal models will be estimated to understand the relationship between having an ED and work performance.

In WP 3, the cost-effectiveness of generic universal and selected interventions will be estimated using economic decision modeling and data from Swedish registers and literature.Societal relevance and utilisation: EDs can have a devastating effect on individuals, both in terms of their health and wellbeing and their work performance.

Using comprehensive, population-based data from Sweden, results will inform decision-makers and health policy on the economic burden of EDs, the impact of EDs on work performance, and which preventive interventions provide the greatest potential health and economic gains to patients, their families, the health care system, and society.Plan for project realisation: This project will be undertaken over three years, guided by an advisory group comprised of decision-makers, service providers and individuals with lived and living experience.

The budget covers the costs of obtaining the data, undertaking the analysis, and knowledge dissemination activities.