Costs of HIV Prevention Among Out-of-Treatment Drug-Using Women: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial

Public Health Reports, Vol. 125, pp. 83-94, 2010

12 Pages Posted: 9 Apr 2008 Last revised: 18 Nov 2009

See all articles by Jennifer Prah Ruger

Jennifer Prah Ruger

University of Pennsylvania - School of Social Policy & Practice; University of Pennsylvania - Perelman School of Medicine

Arbi Ben Abdallah

Wash. U. INQUIRI - Dept. of Anesthesiology

Linda Cottler

Washington University in St. Louis - Department of Psychiatry

Abstract

Objectives. We developed a micro-costing methodology to estimate the real resource costs consumed by delivery of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Cooperative Agreement Standard Intervention (SI) for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention, plus two enhanced modules, in a three-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) among drug-using women. To our knowledge, this is the first micro-costing study of the SI and enhanced modules and the first of its kind targeting drug-using women.

Methods. We conducted a micro-costing study alongside a three-arm RCT to estimate costs of (1) the modified NIDA SI; (2) the SI and a well woman exam (SI WWE); and (3) the SI, WWE, and four educational sessions (SI WWE 4ES) to prevent HIV and sexually transmitted diseases in at-risk, drug-using women in St. Louis, Missouri.

Results. The cost of the SI that all 501 participants received was approximately $227 per person. The additional costs for the WWE and 4ES were approximately $145 and $942 per person, respectively. Total program costs for the SI (n=501) were $113,869; additional costs for the SI WWE (n=342) were $49,403 and for the SI WWE 4ES (n=170) were $160,189. The main cost component for the SI (64% of total costs) was testing costs, whereas building and facilities costs were the main cost component for the SI WWE 4ES (75% of total costs).

Conclusions. This study provides accurate estimates of the real costs for standard and enhanced HIV interventions for policy makers seeking to implement targeted HIV-prevention programs with scarce resources.

Keywords: micro-costing, cost analysis, HIV/AIDS prevention, drug using women, NIDA Cooperative Agreement Standard Intervention

JEL Classification: I10, I12

Suggested Citation

Prah Ruger, Jennifer and Ben Abdallah, Arbi and Cottler, Linda, Costs of HIV Prevention Among Out-of-Treatment Drug-Using Women: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial. Public Health Reports, Vol. 125, pp. 83-94, 2010, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1117651

Jennifer Prah Ruger (Contact Author)

University of Pennsylvania - School of Social Policy & Practice ( email )

3701 Locust Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6214
United States

University of Pennsylvania - Perelman School of Medicine

423 Guardian Drive
Philadelphia, PA 19104
United States

Arbi Ben Abdallah

Wash. U. INQUIRI - Dept. of Anesthesiology ( email )

660 S. Euclid Ave., Third Floor McMillan
St. Louis, MO 63110-1010
United States

Linda Cottler

Washington University in St. Louis - Department of Psychiatry ( email )

660 S. Euclid Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63110
United States

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