Estimating the Economic Benefits from the Cognitive Regulation Training and Exercise (CORTEX)-II Program

Physical inactivity is a significant contributor to chronic diseases, leading to substantial healthcare burdens globally. This study provides a cost-benefit analysis of the COgnitive Regulation Training and EXercise (CORTEX) program, a novel, multimodal, games-based intervention designed to stimulate physical activity participation among middle-aged adults. Implemented as a 20-hour training program, half in a laboratory setting and half at home, the participants also received a year-long fitness membership and a Fitbit device. They were prescribed to meet or exceed 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week. The effectiveness of the CORTEX program was evaluated in a randomized controlled trial against an attentional control video condition. The primary aim was to determine the intervention's impact on sustained exercise behavior. A higher percentage of participants in the intervention group met the recommended physical activity guidelines, indicating the potential of the intervention as a health-promoting tool. The gross economic benefits of the program were estimated at $127,914, underlining the substantial potential of our intervention. The cost-benefit analysis revealed a per-participant net economic benefit of $249.76 for the intervention group, compared to $312.76 for the control group. Although the intervention group's net economic benefit was lower due to the added costs of the video game units, it demonstrated a higher adherence rate to physical activity guidelines. This suggests the potential for significant long-term health benefits and healthcare cost savings, thus supporting the intervention's financial viability and scalability. These findings underscore that game-based interventions like CORTEX may serve as effective, cost-conscious strategies to combat the public health issue of physical inactivity, providing valuable insights for translational behavioral medicine.