Cost-effectiveness of a community-level HIV risk reduction intervention.
OBJECTIVE
The authors evaluated the cost-effectiveness of a community-level HIV prevention intervention that used peer leaders to endorse risk reduction among gay men.


METHODS
A mathematical model of HIV transmission was used to translate reported changes in sexual behavior into an estimate of the number of HIV infections averted.


RESULTS
The intervention cost $17,150, or about $65,000 per infection averted, and was therefore cost-saving, even under very conservative modeling assumptions.


CONCLUSIONS
For this intervention, the cost of HIV prevention was more than offset by savings in averted future medical care costs. Community-level interventions to prevent HIV transmission that use existing social networks can be highly cost-effective.
Pinkerton
S D
SD
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee 53226, USA.
Holtgrave
D R
DR
DiFranceisco
W J
WJ
Stevenson
L Y
LY
Kelly
J A
JA
D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000191:economics*; D003256:Community Participation / Q000191:economics*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000191:economics / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D006266:Health Education / Q000191:economics*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018803:Models, Economic; D019057:Quality-Adjusted Life Years