Research
Mixed
Validation practices in Markov models for obesity interventions are inconsistently reported, with only 43% of models reporting validation, limiting the reliability and comparability of these evaluations.
Be cautious when using economic evaluations of obesity treatments that do not report validation. Only 43% of the models reviewed reported validation, which limits their reliability. Look for studies that use standardized validation guidelines like ISPOR.
GoodRefutesHIGH confidence
Validation practices were inconsistently reported (43% of models), and structural uncertainty (eg, BMI trajectory assumptions) was rarely addressed.
Why this rating
Systematic review findings.
Source
Critical Analysis of Markov Modeling for the Economic Evaluation of Obesity Interventions: A Systematic Review
Qiucen Lin et al. · Risk Management and Healthcare Policy · 2025
DOI 10.2147/rmhp.s528064
systematic_reviewCited 2×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Markov models are the dominant methodological framework for economic evaluations of obesity interventions, with 85% of reviewed studies utilizing state-transition models.Good
- Current Markov models for obesity interventions exhibit significant methodological heterogeneity, particularly in how they model the progression of obesity and its impact on costs and utilities.Good
- Diabetes mellitus (DM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are the most frequently modeled obesity-related complications in Markov models, with DM appearing in 15/15 models focusing on complications and CVD in 14/15.Good
Related findings · Mixed
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