Cost effectiveness analysis of smoking cessation interventions
James Shearer1, Marian Shanahan
1National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales. j.shearer@med.unsw.edu.au
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health
|November 1, 2006
Summary
Telephone counselling is the most cost-effective smoking cessation intervention. Proactive telephone counselling combined with pharmacotherapies offers a highly cost-effective strategy for reducing smoking rates at a population level.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Health Economics
- Smoking Cessation Research
Background:
- Smoking remains a leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality globally.
- Identifying cost-effective interventions is crucial for optimizing healthcare resource allocation in smoking cessation programs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the most cost-effective smoking cessation interventions for population-level impact.
- To evaluate the economic efficiency of various smoking cessation strategies from a governmental perspective.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of international literature for effectiveness data.
- Economic modeling using incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) from the Australian Government's perspective.
- Sensitivity analysis to test assumptions regarding costs, effectiveness, and resource use.
Main Results:
- Telephone counselling identified as the most cost-effective intervention.
- Proactive telephone counselling significantly enhanced pharmacotherapy effectiveness at low incremental cost.
- Bupropion demonstrated greater cost-effectiveness than nicotine replacement therapy (NRT); combination therapy was not cost-effective.
Conclusions:
- General practitioners should refer patients to telephone quitlines.
- Integrating proactive telephone counselling with pharmacotherapy represents a highly cost-effective strategy for reducing population smoking rates.
- Increased investment in proactive telephone counselling services is recommended.
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