Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of STD Prevention for Preadolescents

Background: Sexual transmitted disease (STD) among preadolescents often imposes economic cost, social cost, and medical costs for individual, family, and society as a whole.

Purpose: The primary purpose of this study is to evaluate cost-effectiveness of two health education interventions, which were designed to reduce STD in suburban preadolescents.

Significance: This is the first study that investigates cost-effectiveness of health education interventions in two geographically different suburban areas. It highlights the need to implement knowledge, attitude, and belief toward STD prevention in the health education curriculum.

Methodology: Two health education curricula were implemented in the 6th and 7th grades preadolescents during the school year of 2009 in two geographically different suburban New York. The evaluation employs a quasi-experimental treatment-control group design with random assignment of schools to treatment and control groups. A common instrument was administered to students at baseline, at 6- and 12-month follow ups.

Findings/Results: The results demonstrate that quality oriented health education interventions effectively affect STD reduction with high costs of intervention per preadolescent. In addition, communication about human sexuality development between parents and preadolescents influence adolescents' attitude and belief towards sexual risk behaviors that are related to STD.

Conclusions/Recommendations: Early health education intervention on preadolescents is a cost-effective approach toward STD prevention among Hispanics and African Americans. It significantly predicts a reduction of the medical, economic, and public costs for preadolescents and their families. A long-term cost-effective impact evaluation might be vital to understand race/ethnic specific health education program for STDS prevention.