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Lee, Lee, and Nam: Cost-benefit Analysis of Nutrition Management Program for Children Aged Under 5 Years in DR Congo
Research Article

Korean Journal of Community Nutrition 2018; 23(5): 385-396.

Published online: 31 October 2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5720/kjcn.2018.23.5.385

Cost-benefit Analysis of Nutrition Management Program for Children Aged Under 5 Years in DR Congo

Tae Ho Lee1, Chae Eun Lee2, Eun Woo Nam3

1Department of Health Administration, Graduate School, Yonsei University, Korea, PhD Candidate.

2Yonsei Global Health Center, Yonsei University, Wonju, Gangwon-do 26493, Korea, Intern.

3Department of Health Administration, Graduate School, Yonsei University, Korea, Professor.

Corresponding author: Eun Woo Nam. Unit 412, Changjo-gwan, 1, Yonseidae-gil, Heungeopmyeon, Wonju-si, Gangwon-do 26493, Republic of Korea. Tel: (033) 762-2413, Fax: (033) 762-9562, ewnam@yonsei.ac.kr

Received 8 August 2018       Revised 12 September 2018       Accepted 14 September 2018

Copyright © 2018 The Korean Society of Community Nutrition

The Korean Society of Community Nutrition

(open-access):

This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Objectives

This study aims to evaluate the economic efficiency of a nutrition management program for children under 5 years of age in Kenge, Kwango District, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) from 2014 to 2016.

Methods

The economic efficiency of a nutrition management program for children under 5 years of age who have recovered from malnutrition status was evaluated using a cost-benefit analysis. The costs were analyzed according to the executed budget incurred during the project period. The benefits were estimated as the monetary value of the saved lives of children under 5 years of age. The economic efficiency of the program was determined by the Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR). The BCR was calculated by dividing the total discounted benefit by the total discounted costs. The project is economically efficient when the BCR is greater than 1.

Results

The costs of the nutrition management program were calculated as 1,677,609,648 Korean Won (KRW). A total of 2,466 children survived with improved malnutrition status through this program. The benefit for the reduction of mortality for children under 5 years of age was estimated to be 6,814,354,467 KRW, the estimated value of life for 2,466 children. The BCR was 4.06.

Conclusions

The nutrition management program for children under 5 years of age in DR Congo was found to be a cost-effective project. Successful and efficient Official Development Assistance (ODA) for a health project requires integrated and comprehensive strategies and specialized international development consulting to improve efficiency. Future nutrition management programs should take into account the national health program to maintain the sustainability of the project.

Keywords: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Official Development Assistance, nutrition management program, cost-benefit analysis

Figures and Tables

Photo 1

Map of Kwango district and Kenge

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Photo 2

Nutritional supplement products

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Fig. 1

Follow-up consultation form of patient with malnutrition

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Fig. 2

Steps to perform cost-benefit analysis

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Table 1

Measuring Mid-Upper Arm Circumference

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Source : UNICEF. (2009). Measuring Mid-Upper Arm Circumference

Table 2

Intervention costs of the nutrition management program in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by year (Unit: KRW)

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Abbreviations: HP, Health Professional; CHW, Community Health Worker

Table 3

Present value of intervention costs of the nutrition management program

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Table 4

Benefit estimation for the nutrition management program (2015-2016)

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Table 5

Estimated economic income of survivor by each year

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Table 6

The results of the BCR

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) under the title of “Project for Capacity Building on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Care in the KWANGO Provincial Division of Health in DRC” in 2013-2017 (No. P2013-00186-4).

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ORCID iDs

Eun Woo Nam
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6584-0658

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