Cost Effectiveness of a Weight Management Program Implemented in the Worksite: Translation of Fuel Your Life.

Objective: Conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis of the Fuel Your Life (FYL) program dissemination.
Methods: Employees were recruited from three workplaces randomly assigned to one of the conditions: telephone coaching, small group coaching, and self-study. Costs were collected prospectively during the efficacy trial. The main outcome measures of interest were weight loss and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs).
Results: The phone condition was most costly ($601 to $589/employee) and the self-study condition was least costly ($145 to $143/employee). For weight loss, delivering FYL through the small group condition was no more effective, yet more expensive, than the self-study delivery. For QALYs, the group delivery of FYL was in an acceptable cost-effectiveness range ($22,400/QALY) relative to self-study (95% confidence interval [CI]: $10,600/QALY-dominated).
Conclusions: Prevention programs require adaptation at the local level and significantly affect the cost, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of the program.