Cost-Effectiveness of Community Interventions for Colorectal Cancer Screening: Low-Income Hispanic Population

To assess the cost-effectiveness of interventions to increase colorectal cancer (CRC) screening among low-income uninsured Hispanics in El Paso, Texas.

Participants 50 to 75 years old who were due for screening, were uninsured, and had a Texas address were randomized to promotora, video, or promotora and video interventions. High-risk participants were offered colonoscopy, while others were offered fecal immunochemical testing. A nonintervention comparison group was recruited from a similar Texas U.S.-Mexico border county. Screening was determined at 6 months postintervention. Resources were tracked prospectively to determine cost. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were assessed with "intention to treat" methods. Uncertainty in the estimates was analyzed with sensitivity analysis and nonparametric bootstrap methods.

The interventions achieved screening rates of between 75% and 87% compared to 10% in the comparison group. The cost per participant ranged from $72 for group sessions to $93 for individual video sessions with video and promotora. The group video sessions cost $104 per additional person screened.

The CRC screening interventions were effective for increasing CRC screening. Compared to the experience in the control county, the group-based video-only intervention was the most cost-effective CRC screening promotion intervention.