Peer-reviewed article
Quantifying the lifetime economic impact of pediatric oral nutritional supplements.
Kyi-Sin Than, Khounish Sharma, Kirk W Kerr, Jason Shafrin, Dhanasekhar Kesavelu ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This economic analysis modeled the lifetime impact of oral nutritional supplements for malnourished children in India. The supplements were projected to increase children's height slightly and improve health outcomes and lifetime earnings. Over a lifetime, the benefits were estimated to be worth about $1,281 per child, substantially more than the $210 cost of the supplements.
Key points
- Pediatric oral nutritional supplements increased mean height-for-age Z-score by 0.125 compared to standard care
- Health improvements valued at $1,019 per person in quality-adjusted life-years
- Lifetime earnings gains estimated at $471 per person from improved height
- Total net lifetime incremental value of $1,281 per person after subtracting $210 in supplement costs
- Internal rate of return on incremental earnings from supplements was 5.63%
Limitations
This is a modeling study using a decision tree, not an empirical trial, so actual real-world outcomes may differ from projections. The analysis relies on assumptions about the relationship between height gains and future earnings and health outcomes, which may not hold equally across all populations or contexts.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Pediatric malnutrition is a significant global public health challenge, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This study quantifies the lifetime, per-person economic impact of pediatric oral nutritional supplements (ONS) for children at risk of undernutrition. METHODS: A decision tree model was constructed to assess the impact of pediatric ONS on health and economic outcomes of children at risk for undernutrition in India. Outcomes included changes in mean childhood height-for-age Z-score (HAZ), morbidity, and lifetime earnings. Total net incremental value was modeled as the sum of future earnings and quality-of-life benefits net the intervention costs. The model used a lifetime perspective at the individual level, discounted at 3%. RESULTS: Compared to the standard of care, pediatric ONS use increased mean HAZ by 0.125. This increase in height was projected to improve health outcomes by 0.28 in quality adjusted life-years (valued at $1019 per person) and lifetime economic earnings by $471 per person. The total lifetime incremental value of ONS was $1281 per person net of lifetime pediatric ONS costs of $210. The model estimated a 5.63% internal rate of return on incremental earnings from pediatric ONS. The model was most sensitive to changes in HAZ scores and the height-wage premium. DISCUSSION: Pediatric ONS is predicted to improve both quality-of-life and economic outcomes for children at risk of undernutrition in India. These findings underscore the value of integrating nutritional interventions into public health strategies to address childhood undernutrition, with implications for global health policy.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Pediatric oral nutritional supplements provided to children at risk of undernutrition
- Population
- Children at risk of undernutrition in India
Key finding
Mean height-for-age Z-score increased by 0.125 with ONS versus standard care
Than et al. · PubMed (US National Library of Medicine) · 8 Apr 2026