Investigating the health economic burden of atopic disease in children from the EAT‐On Study

Background There is growing interest in the health economic burden of childhood diseases. This study aimed to compare healthcare costs between atopic and non‐atopic children in a general UK population. Methods Participants were recruited from the EAT‐On study which followed children originally seen from 3 months old and then 7–12 years. A health economics questionnaire (HEQ) collected data from 2018 to 2022 on the utilization of UK healthcare services and were valued using published unit costs for UK£2021. Mean (standard deviation) resource use and cost were estimated for atopic and non‐atopic children, in addition to mean difference (95% confidence interval) between atopic and non‐atopic children. Two‐part logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the likelihood of a child incurring healthcare costs including variables associated with the level of cost incurred. Results 625 children completed the HEQ; 33% reported zero healthcare costs over a 12‐month period and 34.4% (215/625) had at least 1 atopic disease. Children with any atopic disease had higher total costs compared to those without atopic disease (mean difference £77 (95% CI −16.9, 170.6) per participant); if extrapolated to population level, this equated to £104.7 million more per year. Children with atopy were more likely to utilize hospital‐based services compared to children without atopy (mean difference £104.3 (95% CI 36.2, 172.5) per participant). Being younger in the 7–12 y age bracket or coming from a lower income household (<£60,000/year) was associated with higher total healthcare costs. Conclusion Children with atopy incur greater total healthcare costs compared to children without atopy.