Research Facilitation Team (RFT), Army Analytics Group, 20 Ryan Ranch Road, Suite 290, Monterey, CA 93940, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2013 Nov 8;10(11):5908-35. doi: 10.3390/ijerph10115908.
The recent U.S. Congressional mandate for creating drug-free learning environments in elementary and secondary schools stipulates that education reform rely on accountability, parental and community involvement, local decision making, and use of evidence-based drug prevention programs. By necessity, this charge has been paralleled by increased interest in demonstrating that drug prevention programs net tangible benefits to society. One pressing concern is precisely how to integrate traditional scientific methods of program evaluation with economic measures of "cost efficiency". The languages and methods of each respective discipline don't necessarily converge on how to establish the true benefits of drug prevention. This article serves as a primer for conducting economic analyses of school-based drug prevention programs. The article provides the reader with a foundation in the relevant principles, methodologies, and benefits related to conducting economic analysis. Discussion revolves around how economists value the potential costs and benefits, both financial and personal, from implementing school-based drug prevention programs targeting youth. Application of heterogeneous costing methods coupled with widely divergent program evaluation findings influences the feasibility of these techniques and may hinder utilization of these practices. Determination of cost-efficiency should undoubtedly become one of several markers of program success and contribute to the ongoing debate over health policy.
美国国会最近颁布的一项命令要求在美国中小学创建无毒品学习环境，规定教育改革应依靠问责制、家长和社区的参与、地方决策以及使用基于证据的毒品预防计划。因此，人们越来越关注证明毒品预防计划确实能给社会带来切实的利益。一个紧迫的问题是，如何将传统的方案评估科学方法与“成本效益”的经济衡量标准结合起来。这两个学科的语言和方法不一定能统一起来，确定毒品预防的真正好处。本文旨在为学校毒品预防计划的经济分析提供入门指导。本文为读者提供了与进行经济分析相关的原则、方法和效益的基础。讨论围绕着经济学家如何评估实施针对青年的学校毒品预防计划的潜在成本和收益（包括财务和个人方面）。不同的成本核算方法的应用以及广泛不同的方案评估结果，影响了这些技术的可行性，并可能阻碍这些做法的应用。成本效益的确定无疑应该成为衡量计划成功的几个指标之一，并为正在进行的卫生政策辩论做出贡献。
