Economic evaluation of adolescent reproductive health education interventions in Chi Linh, Vietnam

Abstract

Adolescents and youths in Vietnam aged between 10 and 19 make up 19% of the country‘s population. The ability of young people to contribute to a nation‘s productivity and prosperity is dependent on how well they can avoid health risks and chronic diseases, including those associated with sexual and reproductive health. Reproductive health care and prevention programs for adolescents and youths are prioritised at all levels in Vietnam. The goal of this research was to examine the cost-effectiveness of three mutually exclusive reproductive health interventions (named level A, B and C) implemented in Chi Linh for adolescents. The specific objectives were: (1) To calculate unit costs (intervention unit costs + health-care unit costs) from the societal perspective associated with three adolescent reproductive health interventions. (2) To construct a decision analytic model to describe the transition to adverse reproductive health states among adolescents and reflect the projected change in both costs and health outcomes associated with implementing the interventions. (3) To use the model to estimate the required effectiveness of the adolescent reproductive health interventions to be supported for widespread adoption, using uncertainty and scenario analysis techniques. (4) To develop recommendations for further data collection to allow local stakeholders to be certain about decisions before investing scarce resources on adolescent reproductive health interventions in other communities.