COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF A NUTRITION INTERVENTION PROGRAM FOR PREGNANT-WOMEN
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Date
1991
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Abstract
Although costs of supplementary foods distributed to pregnant mothers by the Ministry of Health in Chile are over US$ 5 millions for 1990, its socio-economic impact has not been analyzed with experimental data. Using the results of a recent experimental comparison of powdered milk ("Purita") and a fortified milk-based product ("Vita-Nova"), the effects and public costs that "Vita-Nova" would have if introduced in Chile as a replacement of powdered milk were analized using the cost-effectiveness methodology. Target population were all low weight/height pregnant women served by the Ministry of Health in 1987. Based on the assumed favorable change in the birth weight distribution associated with the introduction of "Vita-Nova", the change in variables such as infant deaths, hospitalizations, etc., was estimated. Results of this evaluation indicate that an improvement of food products nutritional composition (i.e. "Vita-Nova") can favorably modify national health and nutrition infant indexes at a lower cost than the present use of "Purita".
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COST-EFFECTIVENESS EVALUATION, SUPPLEMENTARY FOOD PROGRAM, PREGNANT WOMEN