A Primer on Bayesian Cost-Effectiveness Methods for Health Psychologists

Jessica Yarbro

Advisor: Patrick E McKnight, PhD, Department of Psychology

Committee Members: Todd B. Kashdan, Robyn Mehlenbeck

David J. King Hall, #2013
June 21, 2016, 11:00 AM to 08:00 AM

Abstract:

Recent changes to healthcare reimbursement and funding will likely make cost consideration more relevant for health psychologists. Cost-effectiveness analyses are one tool for providing evidence of financially feasibility which are typically underutilized by health psychologists, usually due to lack of training and experience in this area. This article seeks to address this need by providing an overview of cost-effectiveness analyses, focusing on Bayesian methods, using a school-based lifestyle intervention targeting childhood obesity as an example. Our hope is that health psychologists can use this article as a starting point for incorporating cost-effectiveness analyses into their intervention research.