Wj. Hueston et al., A COST-BENEFIT-ANALYSIS OF SMOKING CESSATION PROGRAMS DURING THE 1ST TRIMESTER OF PREGNANCY FOR THE PREVENTION OF LOW-BIRTH-WEIGHT, Journal of family practice, 39(4), 1994, pp. 353-357
Background. The frequency of low birthweight decreases when women quit
smoking in the first trimester of pregnancy. This analysis examines t
he cost-effectiveness of smoking-cessation programs during pregnancy f
or the prevention of low birthweight. Methods. Using data from the 198
8 National Health Interview Survey and estimated costs of care for low
birthweight and normal birthweight infants, a decision tree was const
ructed to estimate break-even costs for smoking-cessation programs, as
suming a success rate of 18%. Sensitivity analyses were performed to d
etermine how program effectiveness and changes in the population affec
ted the break-even costs. Results. For a population similar to that wh
ich participated in the 1988 National Health Interview Survey, smoking
-cessation programs would be cost-effective if the program cost $80 or
less. In general, to be cost-effective, a smoking-cessation program h
as to decrease smoking rates by 2.15% to justify every $10 in program
costs. Sensitivity analyses showed that as the baseline spontaneous qu
it rate in the smoking population decreases, smoking-cessation program
s of higher cost become more cost-effective. Conclusions. Smoking cess
ation programs during pregnancy may be cost-effective for preventing l
ow birthweight if their cost is $80 or less and they achieve success r
ates of at least 18%.