Modelling the costs and benefits of interventions to prevent and reduce tobacco smoking in NSW
Key Objective:
To model the cost-effectiveness of a range of existing and potential interventions aimed at reducing tobacco smoking in the NSW population
Tobacco smoking is the greatest single cause of premature death in Australia and is a leading preventable cause of morbidity throughout Australia (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006). Although the prevalence of tobacco smoking in the Australian population overall, and in the NSW population, has fallen over the past 25 years (White, Hill et al. 2003), a significant proportion of the population continues to smoke. If current demographic patterns in smoking persist, it is estimated that 14% of Australians will still be smoking in 2020. It has been estimated that current smoking cessation rates would need to double to reach an indicative policy target of 10%. It has been suggested that a holistic approach to tobacco control which targets individuals and populations is most likely to be successful in reducing the prevalence of smoking to this indicative target of 10% (Gartner, Barendregt et al. 2009).
This project was aimed at evaluating which tobacco control strategies would be the most cost effective at both the individual smoker level and population wide. The review identifies strategies for which it is possible to estimate the relative cost-effectiveness in the NSW population. However, it was not intended to provide a comprehensive account of all published studies or currently implemented smoking cessation interventions and tobacco control programs. Rather, it is intended to provide an overview and indication of the existing evidence of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of interventions deemed most relevant to the NSW context.
A decision analytic model was constructed using estimates of effectiveness of selected strategies, and local estimates of resources required to implement the strategies/interventions. The model was used to estimate the cost-effectiveness. Not all interventions included in the literature review were modelled in the cost-effectiveness analysis due to a paucity of evidence regarding the effectiveness, or evidence suggesting that they are not effective. The results showed that the most cost-effective smoking cessation programs in terms of cost per quitter, was Varenicline, brief advice and tailored self-help materials.
Funding source
NSW Health
CHERE staff
Jody Church, Braedon Donald, Marion Haas, Rosalie Viney
Collaborators
NSW Department of Health
