The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #52430

Pinka Chatterj, Montefiore Medical Center, 3307 Bainbridge Avenue, Bronx, NY 10467, 718-519-0772, pchatter@montefiore.org

Intervention children were offered the opportunity to participate in a one-semester pull out program directed at the major risk factors of drug use -- behavior problems, learning problems, and low self-competence. In addition, children enrolled in the semester program were offered the opportunity to participate in a step-down transition program in the semester following their enrollment in the intervention. Outcomes investigated include level of smoking, level of alcohol use, and illicit drug use (from child self-report), violent behavior (from school records and juvenile justice records), and chronic absenteeism (from school records). Intervention effects are investigated using two models: (1) an intention to treat model; and (2) a model that excludes children who were assigned to a condition but who moved out of the school before assignment could begin. Both models include child baseline characteristics, dose of intervention, and exposure to intervention. Cost information was collected for three years, using a cost questionnaire that was completed by program and school budget officers and school principals. From a societal perspective, the cost of serving an intervention student exceeds the cost of serving a control student by $2,837. From the perspective of the school system, the incremental cost of serving an intervention student is slightly higher, an average of $3,130 per student. These incremental cost estimates are combined with effectiveness data to estimate the additional cost of the intervention per unit of effectiveness. Implications for school-based drug prevention policy are discussed.

Learning Objectives:

• To apply economic evaluation methods to assess a school-based drug use prevention program.
• To understand what factors are important in determining the cost-effectiveness of such a program

Keywords: School-Based Health Care, Drug Use

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.