Analysis of media campaign promoting smoking cessation suggests it was cost-effective in prompting quit attempts

Health Aff (Millwood). 2012 Dec;31(12):2708-16. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2012.0277.

Abstract

The American Legacy Foundation's national EX® campaign, which ran on radio and television in 2008, was designed to promote smoking cessation among adult smokers. The incremental societal cost of EX, in 2009 dollars, was $166 million. Data from eight designated media market areas studied indicate that in a hypothetical nationwide cohort of 2,012,000 adult smokers ages 18-49, EX resulted in 52,979 additional quit attempts and 4,238 additional quits and saved 4,450 quality-adjusted life-years. Incremental cost-utility estimates comparing EX to the status quo-that is, the situation that would have existed in the eight markets with no campaign and no change in cessation behavior-ranged from a cost of $37,355 to $81,301 per quality-adjusted life-year, which suggests that the campaign was cost-effective. These findings bolster previous evidence that national mass media campaigns for smoking cessation can lower smoking prevalence in a cost-effective manner, among both adults and young adults ages 18-24 who are smokers.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Age Factors
  • Cohort Studies
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis
  • Female
  • Health Promotion / organization & administration*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mass Media*
  • Program Evaluation
  • Public Health
  • Quality-Adjusted Life Years*
  • Radio / statistics & numerical data
  • Sex Factors
  • Smoking Cessation / economics*
  • Smoking Cessation / methods*
  • Television / statistics & numerical data
  • Time Factors
  • United States
  • Young Adult