Abstract
Estimates of the cost effectiveness and cost benefit of health promotion-health education methods for pregnant smokers designed to increase birth weight are not available. This paper presents the results of a cost-effectiveness analysis from a recently completed randomized trial to evaluate the effectiveness of self-help smoking cessation methods for pregnant women in public health maternity clinics. The study population--309 pregnant smokers from 3 prenatal clinics--were randomly assigned, during their first clinic visit, to 1 of 3 groups: (a) group 1 received the standard clinic information and advice to quit smoking, (b) group 2 received the standard clinic information and advice to quit plus the manual "Freedom From Smoking in 20 Days" by the American Lung Association, and (c) group 3 received the standard clinic information and advice to quit plus the pregnancy-specific manual "A Pregnant Woman's Self-Help Guide to Quit Smoking." The quit rates by the end of pregnancy were 2 percent for group 1, 6 percent for group 2, and 14 percent for group 3. Analyses also indicated that the method used for group 3 was the most cost effective: group 3 achieved smoking cessation at less than half the cost experienced by the other two groups. Although additional studies are needed concerning the behavioral impact, cost effectiveness, and cost benefit of self-help health education methods for smoking cessation, the methods tested in this trial are promising as solutions to part of the problem of low birth weight among infants of smoking mothers in the United States.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Danaher B. G., Shisslak C. M., Thompson C. B., Ford J. D. A smoking cessation program for pregnant women: an exploratory study. Am J Public Health. 1978 Sep;68(9):896–898. doi: 10.2105/ajph.68.9.896. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Donovan J. W. Randomised controlled trial of anti-smoking advice in pregnancy. Br J Prev Soc Med. 1977 Mar;31(1):6–12. doi: 10.1136/jech.31.1.6. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Ershoff D. H., Aaronson N. K., Danaher B. G., Wasserman F. W. Behavioral, health, and cost outcomes of an HMO-based prenatal health education program. Public Health Rep. 1983 Nov-Dec;98(6):536–547. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Shepard D. S., Thompson M. S. First principles of cost-effectiveness analysis in health. Public Health Rep. 1979 Nov-Dec;94(6):535–543. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Windsor R. A., Cutter G., Morris J., Reese Y., Manzella B., Bartlett E. E., Samuelson C., Spanos D. The effectiveness of smoking cessation methods for smokers in public health maternity clinics: a randomized trial. Am J Public Health. 1985 Dec;75(12):1389–1392. doi: 10.2105/ajph.75.12.1389. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Windsor R. A., Orleans C. T. Guidelines and methodological standards for smoking cessation intervention research among pregnant women: improving the science and art. Health Educ Q. 1986 Summer;13(2):131–161. doi: 10.1177/109019818601300203. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]