Telephone coaching is cost-effective for increasing physical activity for non-admitted hospital patients

Introduction: Interventions that promote physical activity in non-admitted hospital patients might provide an opportunity to reduce the burden of chronic disease. The cost-effectiveness of integrating a behaviour change intervention into non-admitted clinical care in a public hospital has not been documented.

Methods: Seventy-two insufficiently active participants were randomised to an intervention group that received an education session and eight sessions of telephone coaching, or to a control group that received the education session only. Intervention costs were calculated during the trial and compared with the intervention effects on physical activity and quality-of life 6 months after the start of the intervention.

Results: Relative to control, the intervention group completed 18 additional minutes of daily moderate to vigorous physical activity at an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $10/minute, indicating that the intervention is cost-effective at low willingness-to pay thresholds. In regard to QALYs, the intervention (ICER =$3,760/QALY) was also found to be cost-effective at a willingness-to pay threshold of $30,000/QALY.

Conclusion & Recommendation: Telephone coaching was found to be a cost-effective method of increasing physical activity and quality of life in insufficiently active non-admitted hospital patients. The lasting effects of the intervention and the cost-savings derived from increasing physical activity strengthens its position as a good value health intervention. Integrating telephone coaching into clinical care to promote changes in physical activity can contribute to individual health, and public health more broadly by increasing physical activity at low costs and offers a cost-effective investment to produce better public health outcome.