Cost-effectiveness of nutrition therapy

Ultra-Processed Food Intake and Increased Risk of Obesity: A Narrative Review

The prevalence of obesity has become a global health concern, with significant impacts on quality of life and mortality rates. Recent research has highlighted the role of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in driving the obesity epidemic. UPFs undergo extensive processing, often containing high levels of sugars, fats, and additives, while lacking essential nutrients. Studies have linked UPF consumption to obesity and cardiometabolic diseases, underscoring the importance of dietary patterns rich in whole foods. Thus, the aim of this narrative review is to elucidate the correlation between ultra-processed foods and the increased trend of obesity and its related complications. These foods, prevalent in modern diets, contribute to nutritional deficiencies and excessive caloric intake, exacerbating obesity rates. Lifestyle factors such as busy schedules and quick meal management further drive UPF consumption, disrupting hunger regulation and promoting overeating. UPF consumption correlates with adverse health outcomes, including dyslipidemia, hypertension, and insulin resistance. Promoting whole, minimally processed foods and implementing school-based nutrition education programs are crucial steps. Also, numerous challenges exist, including unequal access to healthy foods, the industry's influence, and behavioral barriers to dietary change. Future research should explore innovative approaches, such as nutrigenomics and digital health technologies, to personalize interventions and evaluate policy effectiveness. Collaboration across disciplines and sectors will be vital to develop comprehensive solutions and improve public health outcomes globally.

Nutritional Risk, Health Outcomes, and Hospital Costs Among Chinese Immobile Older Inpatients: A National Study

Purpose: Evidence of the impact of nutritional risk on health outcomes and hospital costs among Chinese older inpatients is limited. Relatively few studies have investigated the association between clinical and cost outcomes and nutritional risk in immobile older inpatients, particularly those with neoplasms, injury, digestive, cardiac, and respiratory conditions.

Methods: This China-wide prospective observational cohort study comprised 5,386 immobile older inpatients hospitalized at 25 hospitals. All patients were screened for nutritional risk using the Nutrition Risk Screening (NRS 2002). A descriptive analysis of baseline variables was followed by multivariate analysis (Cox proportional hazards models and generalized linear model) to compare the health and economic outcomes, namely, mortality, length of hospital stay (LoS), and hospital costs associated with a positive NRS 2002 result.

Results: The prevalence of a positive NRS 2002 result was 65.3% (n = 3,517). The prevalence of “at-risk” patients (NRS 2002 scores of 3+) was highest in patients with cardiac conditions (31.5%) and lowest in patients with diseases of the respiratory system (6.9%). Controlling for sex, age, education, type of insurance, smoking status, the main diagnosed disease, and Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), the multivariate analysis showed that the NRS 2002 score = 3 [hazard ratio (HR): 1.376, 95% CI: 1.031–1.836] were associated with approximately a 1.5-fold higher likelihood of death. NRS 2002 scores = 4 (HR: 1.982, 95% CI: 1.491–2.633) and NRS scores ≥ 5 (HR: 1.982, 95% CI: 1.498–2.622) were associated with a 2-fold higher likelihood of death, compared with NRS 2002 scores <3. An NRS 2002 score of 3 (percentage change: 16.4, 95% CI: 9.6–23.6), score of 4 (32.4, 95% CI: 24–41.4), and scores of ≥ 5 (36.8, 95% CI 28.3–45.8) were associated with a significantly (16.4, 32.4, and 36.8%, respectively) higher likelihood of increased LoS compared with an NRS 2002 scores <3. The NRS 2002 score = 3 group (17.8, 95% CI: 8.6–27.7) was associated with a 17.8%, the NRS 2002 score = 4 group (31.1, 95% CI: 19.8–43.5) a 31.1%, and the NRS 2002 score ≥ 5 group (44.3, 95% CI: 32.3–57.4) a 44.3%, higher likelihood of increased hospital costs compared with a NRS 2002 scores <3 group. Specifically, the most notable mortality-specific comorbidity and LoS-specific comorbidity was injury, while the most notable cost-specific comorbidity was diseases of the digestive system.

Conclusions: This study demonstrated the high burden of undernutrition at the time of hospital admission on the health and hospital cost outcomes for older immobile inpatients. These findings underscore the need for nutritional risk screening in all Chinese hospitalized patients, and improved diagnosis, treatment, and nutritional support to improve immobile patient outcomes and to reduce healthcare costs.

Cost savings associated with nutritional support in medical inpatients: an economic model based on data from a systematic review of randomised trials

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Nutritional support improves clinical outcomes during hospitalisation as well as after discharge. Recently, a systematic review of 27 randomised, controlled trials showed that nutritional support was associated with lower rates of hospital readmissions and improved survival. In the present economic modelling study, we sought to determine whether in-hospital nutritional support would also return economic benefits.

METHODS

The current economic model applied cost estimates to the outcome results from our recent systematic review of hospitalised patients. In the underlying meta-analysis, a total of 27 trials (n=6803 patients) were included. To calculate the economic impact of nutritional support, a Markov model was developed using transitions between relevant health states. Costs were estimated accounting for length of stay in a general hospital ward, hospital-acquired infections, readmissions and nutritional support. Six-month mortality was also considered. The estimated daily per-patient cost for in-hospital nutrition was US$6.23.

RESULTS

Overall costs of care within the model timeframe of 6 months averaged US$63 227 per patient in the intervention group versus US$66 045 in the control group, which corresponds to per patient cost savings of US$2818. These cost savings were mainly due to reduced infection rate and shorter lengths of stay. We also calculated the costs to prevent a hospital-acquired infection and a non-elective readmission, that is, US$820 and US$733, respectively. The incremental cost per life-day gained was -US$1149 with 2.53 additional days. The sensitivity analyses for cost per quality-adjusted life day provided support for the original findings.

CONCLUSIONS

For medical inpatients who are malnourished or at nutritional risk, our findings showed that in-hospital nutritional support is a cost-effective way to reduce risk for readmissions, lower the frequency of hospital-associated infections, and improve survival rates.

Management Accounting for Healthy Nutrition Education: Meta-Analysis

Unequal economic growth shapes food systems. Nutrition problems incorporate inappropriate practices, so nutrition education is key to empowering consumers to choose healthy foods. However, increasing the accessibility of healthy diets is related to reducing the cost of nutritious foods. The accounting management of healthy nutrition should allow for optimal global decision-making. The evolution of scientific production and global research trends on this topic between 1968 and 2019 have been studied. Statistical and mathematical methods have been applied to 1738 documents from the Scopus database. The results provided data on the agents that participate in the development of the theme. Data reveal an exponential trend, especially in the previous decade, with more than 50% of scientific production. Future lines of research have been identified: investment in health systems; green label education; early impact of food insecurity; WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) nutrition education; food waste audit; and ecological footprint of food. The central contribution of the study has been to detect the main future directions of research, providing critical points that will allow us to identify the themes of future publications, in addition to providing an instrument for decision-making carried out by the research funding sponsors.