Introduction to the Special Issue on Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

Abstract

Communication is at the heart of behavior change programs in developing countries. It is hard to imagine a program designed to bring about some type of change in behavior or health status that does not utilize at least some type of directed communication. How effective are these interventions however in bringing about the desired change? And at what cost? This special issue of the Journal of Health Communication examines the state of the art for addressing the familiar question What is the bang for the buck? We expect this issue to be of interest to two main audiences: (1) health communication specialists interested in designing the most effective programs on limited budgets and (2) researchers/evaluators interested in applying state-of-the-art methods for conducting cost-effectiveness analysis of communication programs for behavior change. Health communication programs aim to bring about change in individual behaviors and social norms using some combination of (1) mass media (2) community-level interventions (e.g. community mobilization) and (3) interpersonal communication/ counseling. Programs today tend to incorporate the highly effective elements of entertainment education. Earlier evaluations often measured the effects of a program consisting of a few or even a single communication channel in a limited geographical area. Todays communication programs however often use a more comprehensive approach consisting of multiple mutually reinforcing media. (excerpt)