School-based smoking prevention: economic costs versus benefits

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Economics
• Preventive Medicine

Background:

• Smoking remains a significant public health concern in Canada, necessitating effective prevention strategies.
• Economic evaluations are crucial for justifying investments in public health interventions like smoking prevention programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a cost-benefit analysis of a school-based smoking prevention program in Canada.
• To compare the costs of program development and delivery with long-term economic savings from reduced smoking prevalence.

Main Methods:

• Cost-benefit analysis framework applied to a national school-based smoking prevention program.
• Estimation of program costs per student and projected savings in healthcare and productivity.
• Calculation of benefit-cost ratio and annual net savings.

Main Results:

• The estimated cost of an effective national program is $67 per student (1996 dollars).
• Projected lifetime savings per person are $3,400 in healthcare and nearly $14,000 in productivity.
• The benefit-cost ratio is 15.4, with annual net savings of $619 million.

Conclusions:

• An effective school-based smoking prevention program presents a highly favorable economic return on investment for Canada.
• Significant and widespread economic benefits are achievable under various conditions, supporting national implementation.
• Investing in smoking prevention yields substantial long-term economic advantages beyond immediate healthcare cost reductions.