Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved
Volume 26, Issue 2, 2015, Pages 431-440

Economic evaluation of a community health worker- led health literacy intervention to promote cancer screening among Korean American women (Article)

Schuster A.L.R. , Frick K.D. , Huh B.-Y. , Kim K.B. , Kim M. , Han H.-R.*
  • a Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Health Systems, Management and Policy at the Colorado School of Public Health, United States
  • b Johns Hopkins University (JHU), Carey Business School, United States
  • c Department of Community- Public Health, JHU School of Nursing (SON), United States
  • d CEO, Korean Resource Center, Ellicott, MD, United States
  • e University of Texas at Austin, School of Nursing, United States
  • f Department of Community- Public Health, JHU School of Nursing, United States

Abstract

Objective. The study’s objectives were to calculate the costs and evaluate the cost- effectiveness of implementing a health literacy- focused intervention to promote breast and cervical cancer screenings among Korean American women overdue for these tests. Methods. Researchers estimated the costs of a cluster- randomized controlled trial that evaluated this intervention. Effectiveness was measured as the number of breast or cervical cancer screenings received by women in either the intervention and control arms of the study. Cost- effectiveness was calculated as the incremental cost of each additional screening received by the intervention group. Results. Comparing the intervention and control group, the incremental cost- effectiveness ratio was estimated to be US$236 per screening, without program development costs. Conclusion. These findings suggest this program, when compared with others, offered a more cost- effective approach for promoting cancer screening. Local health officials could use this information to guide decisions about reducing cancer disparities among recent immigrant women. © Meharry Medical College.

Author Keywords

Costs Health literacy Community health workers Korean American Cost effectiveness

Index Keywords

Community Health Workers South Korea Republic of Korea Cost benefit analysis health promotion economics human middle aged statistics and numerical data controlled study early cancer diagnosis Aged randomized controlled trial health auxiliary Early Detection of Cancer ethnology procedures Young Adult health care cost Health Care Costs Breast Neoplasms psychology Mammography Humans Asian Americans Asian American female organization and management adult Uterine Cervical Neoplasms Papanicolaou Test health literacy cost-benefit analysis
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84928196409&doi=10.1353%2fhpu.2015.0050&partnerID=40&md5=dfe954a41e77db686d4050830d0849b2
DOI: 10.1353/hpu.2015.0050
ISSN: 10492089
Cited by: 9
Original Language: English