Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #111930

Craig Ravesloot, PhD¹, Barbara Cowan¹, Meg Ann Traci, PhD², and Tom Seekins, PhD². (1) Rural Institute on Disabilites, University of Montana, 52 Corbin Hall, Missoula, MT 59812, 303-774-6196, cravesloot@comcast.net, (2) Rural Institute on Disabilities, The University of Montana, 52 Corbin Hall, Missoula, MT 59812

Living Well with a Disability is an eight-week curriculum-based health education program that has been shown to effect the limitation people with disabilities experience because of secondary conditions. Previous results reported for this program were derived primarily from controlled studies. This paper presents cost outcomes from a statewide implementation of the program in Montana. Facilitators for the program included staff and peers from each of the four centers for independent living (CILs) in the state who were trained using an internet-based “real time” training program. Participants were 62 adults with disabilities recruited by the CILs. Questionnaires that queried healthcare service utilization using a two-month retrospective recall were distributed immediately prior to, immediately following, and two months after the conclusion of each workshop. Using 2002 Medicare reimbursement rates, results indicated that total healthcare costs for the study cohort during and after the intervention were reduced by $23,148 when compared to pre-intervention service utilization rates. With intervention costs calculated at $36,500 (12 workshops), the return on investment during the study period was .63 (costs/benefit) with an expected payback period of 6.30 months. These results are consistent with previously reported cost results for implementing the Living Well with a Disability program. Limitations and implications of these results are discussed and with respect to future directions of the Living Well with a Disability program.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe essential features of health promotion for people with disabilities.
• Understand "return on investment" and "projected payback" with respect to health promotion.
• Describe methods for increasing community participation in health promotion for people with disabilities.

Keywords: Health Promotion, Cost-Effectiveness

Related Web page: www.livingwellweb.com

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation