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Weber E, Peskin MF, Markham CM, Shegog R, Baumler ER, Addy RC, Temple JR, Hernandez B, Cuccaro P, Thiel MA, Gabay EK, Emery ST. Economic Evaluation of an Intervention to Prevent Adolescent Dating Violence (Me & You). J Interpers Violence 2023; 38:2983-3010. [PMID: 35617674 PMCID: PMC11010237 DOI: 10.1177/08862605221104534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Me & You: Building Healthy Relationships (Me & You) is a multilevel, technology-enhanced adolescent dating violence (DV) prevention program that aimed to reduce DV among ethnic-minority, early adolescent, urban youth. A group-randomized control trial of Me & You, conducted with 10 middle schools from a large urban school district in Southeast Texas in 2014-2015, found it to be effective in reducing DV perpetration and decreasing some forms of DV victimization. Economic evaluations of DV interventions are extremely limited, despite calls for more economic analyses to be incorporated in research. We help fill this gap by evaluating the cost-effectiveness from the payer and societal perspectives of implementing the Me & You program. Using cost data collected alongside the Me & You group-randomized trial, we computed incremental cost-effectiveness ratios. Our primary outcome was "any DV perpetrated" within 12 months of the intervention. We conducted a cost-benefit analysis beyond the intervention endpoint by using literature estimates of per-victim lifetime costs of DV. We performed sensitivity analyses to assess effects of uncertain parameters. Under the base-case scenario, the cost of the Me & You curriculum compared to the standard curriculum was $103.70 per-student from the societal perspective, and the effectiveness was 34.84 perpetrations averted, implying an incremental cost per perpetration averted of $2.98, which ranged from $0.48 to $73.24 in sensitivity analysis. Thus, we find the Me & You curriculum is cost-effective and cost-saving in most scenarios. Policymakers should carefully consider school-based DV prevention programs, and cost data should be regularly collected in adolescent prevention program evaluations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellerie Weber
- UTHealth, Deptartment of Management, Policy & Community Health, Houston, TX, USA
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY, USA
| | - Melissa F. Peskin
- UTHealth, Center for Health Promotion & Prevention Research, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - Ross Shegog
- UTHealth, Center for Health Promotion & Prevention Research, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Elizabeth R. Baumler
- UTHealth, Deptartment of Management, Policy & Community Health, Houston, TX, USA
- UTMB, Center for Violence Prevention, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Robert C. Addy
- UTHealth, Center for Health Promotion & Prevention Research, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jeff R. Temple
- UTMB, Center for Violence Prevention, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Belinda Hernandez
- UTHealth, Center for Health Promotion & Prevention Research, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Paula Cuccaro
- UTHealth, Center for Health Promotion & Prevention Research, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Melanie A. Thiel
- UTHealth, Deptartment of Management, Policy & Community Health, Houston, TX, USA
- UTMB, Center for Violence Prevention, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Efrat K. Gabay
- UTHealth, Center for Health Promotion & Prevention Research, Houston, TX, USA
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