en |
SOY AND VEGETABLE GARDENING WITH SKILLS TRAINING AND SOY CONSUMPTION ARE COST EFFECTIVE METHODS TO IMPROVE THE BLOOD LIPID PROFILES OF WOMEN IN QWA-QWA, SOUTH AFRICA
Klobodu, SS; Oldewage-Theron, W & Carpio, CE
Abstract
A cost effectiveness (CE) analysis was performed on a nutrition intervention program
that included soy consumption, soy and vegetable gardening, and skills training designed
to improve blood lipid levels in women. This intervention involved ninety women of
ages 19-75 years living in Qwa-Qwa, South Africa. The actual nutrition intervention
lasted 18 months. Outcomes measured were low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol,
high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and serum triglycerides levels. All costs for
the resources used in the program were considered and categorized into four main
groups: labor, materials, transport, and miscellaneous. Following the recommendation
for evaluating nutrition projects, a common base year of 2012 and discount rate of 5%
were selected. The CE was calculated based on the total cost of the intervention program
for all 90 women served and the number of women who achieved normal levels for a
specified serum lipid during the 18 months of intervention. The CE ratios were expressed
as the per subject cost of achieving the normal level of a specified serum lipid for
example, HDL cholesterol. The average cost (in 2012 dollars) was approximately $869
per person. The CE ratio for serum HDL cholesterol was the lowest compared to the CE
ratios of other indicators of serum lipids. Material costs accounted for the majority of the
costs (71%) followed by labor (22%). Training materials, gardening tools, soy
preparation equipment, and seeds, which are critical for increasing the scale of the
program, together contributed to a relatively low percentage of the total cost of materials
(37%). In addition, it was noted that the per person cost is likely to decrease if the scale
of the intervention is increased. Soy and vegetable gardening with skill training and soy
consumption may be a feasible population-wide approach to prevent the development of
cardiovascular diseases among women in Qwa-Qwa, South Africa.
Keywords
Cardiovascular diseases; cost effectiveness; high-density lipoprotein; lipid profile; nutrition intervention; Qwa-Qwa; South Africa; soybean; vegetable gardening; women
|