The cost-effectiveness of health communication programs: what do we know?
While a considerable body of evidence has emerged supporting the effectiveness of communication programs in augmenting health, only a very small subset of studies has examined also whether these programs are cost-effective, that is, whether they achieve greater health gains for available financial resources than alternative interventions. In this article, we examine the available literature on the cost-effectiveness of health behavior change communication programs, focusing on communication interventions involving mass media, and, to a lesser extent, community mobilization and interpersonal communication or counseling. Our objective is to identify the state of past and current research efforts of the cost-effectiveness of behavior change communication programs. This review makes three principal conclusions. First, the analysis of the cost-effectiveness of health communication programs commonly has not been performed. Second, the studies reviewed here have utilized a considerable diversity of methods and have reflected varying levels of quality and adherence to standard cost-effectiveness methodologies. This leads to problems of transparency, comparability, and generalizability. Third, while the available studies generally are indicative of the cost-effectiveness of communication interventions relative to alternatives, the evidence base clearly needs to be expanded by additional rigorous cost-effectiveness analyses.
Hutchinson
Paul
P
Department of International Health and Development, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112, USA. phutchin@tulane.edu
Wheeler
Jennifer
J
D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000191:economics; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D008402:Mass Media; D009042:Motivation; D010565:Persuasive Communication; D015397:Program Evaluation; D019057:Quality-Adjusted Life Years; D040241:Social Marketing