Comparing the cost-effectiveness of the Otago Exercise Programme among older women and men: A secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE: Using stratified analyses, we examined the cost-effectiveness of the Otago Exercise Programme (OEP), from a health care system perspective, among older women and men who have previously fallen. METHODS: This study was a secondary stratified analysis (by women and men), of a 12-month prospective economic evaluation of a randomized clinical trial (OEP compared with usual care). Three hundred and forty four community-dwelling older adults (≥70; 172 OEP (110 women; 62 men), 172 usual care (119 women; 53 men)) who sustained a fall in the past 12 months and received a baseline assessment at the Vancouver Falls Prevention Clinic, Canada were included. A gender by OEP/usual care interaction was examined for the falls incidence rate ratio (IRR). Outcome measures stratified by gender included: falls IRR, incremental cost-per fall prevented (ICER), incremental cost per quality adjusted life year (QALY, ICUR) gained, and mean total health care resource utilization costs. RESULTS: Men were frailer than women at baseline. Men incurred higher mean total healthcare costs $6794 (SD: $11906)). There was no significant gender by OEP/usual care interaction on falls IRR. The efficacy of the OEP did not vary by gender. The adjusted IRR for the OEP group demonstrated a 39% (IRR: 0.61, CI: 0.40–0.93) significant reduction in falls among men but not women (32% reduction (IRR: 0.69, CI: 0.47–1.02)). The ICER showed the OEP was effective in preventing falls and less costly for men, while it was costlier for women by $42. The ICUR showed the OEP did not impact quality of life. CONCLUSION: Future studies should explore gender factors (i.e., health seeking behaviours, gender related frailty) that may explain observed variation in the cost-effectiveness of the OEP as a secondary falls prevention strategy. TRIAL REGISTRATIONS: ClinicalTrials.gov Protocol Registration System Identifier: NCT01029171; URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01029171 Identifier: NCT00323596; URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00323596