Economic evaluation of participatory learning and action with women's groups facilitated by Accredited Social Health Activists to improve birth outcomes in rural eastern India.
BACKGROUND
Neonatal mortality remains unacceptably high in many low and middle-income countries, including India. A community mobilisation intervention using participatory learning and action with women's groups facilitated by Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) was conducted to improve maternal and newborn health. The intervention was evaluated through a cluster-randomised controlled trial conducted in Jharkhand and Odisha, eastern India. This aims to assess the cost-effectiveness this intervention.


METHODS
Costs were estimated from the provider's perspective and calculated separately for the women's group intervention and for activities to strengthen Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Committees (VHNSC) conducted in all trial areas. Costs were estimated at 2017 prices and converted to US dollar (USD). The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was calculated with respect to a do-nothing alternative and compared with the WHO thresholds for cost-effective interventions. ICERs were calculated for cases of neonatal mortality and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) averted.


RESULTS
The incremental cost of the intervention was USD 83 per averted DALY (USD 99 inclusive of VHSNC strengthening costs), and the incremental cost per newborn death averted was USD 2545 (USD 3046 inclusive of VHSNC strengthening costs). The intervention was highly cost-effective according to WHO threshold, as the cost per life year saved or DALY averted was less than India's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita. The robustness of the findings to assumptions was tested using a series of one-way sensitivity analyses. The sensitivity analysis does not change the conclusion that the intervention is highly cost-effective.


CONCLUSIONS
Participatory learning and action with women's groups facilitated by ASHAs was highly cost-effective to reduce neonatal mortality in rural settings with low literacy levels and high neonatal mortality rates. This approach could effectively complement facility-based care in India and can be scaled up in comparable high mortality settings.
Ekjut, Ward Number 17, Plot 556B, Potka, District-West Singhbhum, PO-Chakradharpur, Jharkhand 833102 India.
Rajesh Kumar
RK
Sinha
UCL Institute for Global Health, 30 Guilford Street, London, WC1N 1EH UK.
Hassan
H
Haghparast-Bidgoli
Ekjut, Ward Number 17, Plot 556B, Potka, District-West Singhbhum, PO-Chakradharpur, Jharkhand 833102 India.
Prasanta Kishore
PK
Tripathy
Ekjut, Ward Number 17, Plot 556B, Potka, District-West Singhbhum, PO-Chakradharpur, Jharkhand 833102 India.
Nirmala
N
Nair
Ekjut, Ward Number 17, Plot 556B, Potka, District-West Singhbhum, PO-Chakradharpur, Jharkhand 833102 India.
Rajkumar
R
Gope
Ekjut, Ward Number 17, Plot 556B, Potka, District-West Singhbhum, PO-Chakradharpur, Jharkhand 833102 India.
Shibanand
S
Rath
UCL Institute for Global Health, 30 Guilford Street, London, WC1N 1EH UK.
Audrey
A
Prost
Cluster randomised controlled trial; Cost-effectiveness; Neonatal mortality; Participatory learning and action; Women’s groups