Quality of Life, Healthcare Use and Cost of Practice From a Nationally-Representative Australian Survey to Inform Future Economic Evaluations of Contemplative Practices

A nationally representative Australian survey compared quality of life, health service use, and costs among meditators, other contemplative practitioners, and non-practitioners. Unadjusted quality-of-life scores were higher for non-practitioners, and this difference persisted after accounting for demographics but disappeared when mental health service use was included. Unmet mental-health service need was highest among meditators (13.9%) versus non-practitioners (2.4%). The average annual cost of contemplative practice was $1,281 per person. The findings provide preliminary data for future economic evaluations of contemplative practices.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Abstract Objectives The prevalence of mental health disorders globally is increasing, and contemplative practices (such as meditation/mindfulness) are recommended by many health professionals to address this issue. These practices now need to be carefully evaluated for safety, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness. We aimed to investigate key data to inform future economic evaluations in this area via a cross-sectional, nationally representative survey of the Australian population. Method We compared quality-of-life scores across groups using regression analysis to account for group differences. Self-reported health service use (general, mental, complementary) was compared across groups (not needed, unmet need, used service) and index-scores. Self-reported practice cost estimates were investigated across contemplative practices (e.g. meditation, yoga) for a range of cost types (e.g. classes, travel, donations). Results The sample included 445 meditators, 1034 other contemplative practitioners and 586 non-practitioners, with large demographic differences between groups. Unadjusted quality-of-life scores were significantly higher for non-practitioners compared to practitioners. Differences were maintained when demographic variables were added to the model, but not when mental health service use was included as a covariate. We estimated that 8.9% of the sample had unmet mental-health service need and that this was highest in the meditation group (13.9%) compared to the non-practitioner group (2.4%). The average cost of any contemplative practice (including meditation) was estimated at $1,281 per person. Conclusions This study provides preliminary evidence on potentially suitable variables for estimating costs and effects for conducting cost-effectiveness studies of contemplative practices. EQ-HWB-9 index scores performed well as an outcome measure in this population. Preregistration The initial study was preregistered at Open Science Framework osf.io/etkh4. The current paper is additional to the preregistered research questions.