A retrospective analysis of the costs and consequences of a tobacco-cessation program for active duty service members

Health system records of 126 active-duty (AD) service members who were participants in the Davis-Monthan AFB "Quitters are Winners" tobacco cessation program (QAWP) between June 1993 and May 1994 were reviewed retrospectively during the fall of 1994. Participants received an average of 2.84 (+/- 1.46) prescriptions for transdermal nicotine replacement therapy representing 6 weeks duration. Tobacco abstinence, determined by 6-month point prevalence abstinence (PPA), was 19.05 and 15.08% for 6-month continuous abstinence (CA). PPA and CA rates were significantly higher than expected (z = 3.94, p < 0.002; z = 2.38, p < 0.02). Average operational cost per successful outcome at 6 months after entry into the QAWP were $778.93 using PPA and $983.92 using CA. Additional analyses revealed corresponding increases between average cost per successful outcome and duration of TNRT. This research provides an initial analysis of the efficiency of the QAWP for AD participants and a model for subsequent evaluations within military medical treatment facilities.