The Smoking Cessation and Reduction in Pregnancy Program (SCRIPP) is a culturally sensitive program which systematically educates participants concerning the negative effect of smoking on costs during pregnancy and infant birth weight.  Smoking quit and/or cessation rates registered by SCRIPPs with Medicaid-eligible pregnant smokers resulted in a return of $7-$17 for every dollar invested.  That translates to a national yearly cost savings of $22 million to $59 million if the program were instituted nationally. 

Specific Comments Included:   

A focused program on a major cause of disease.  A strong research focus in a difficult population to address.  Experimental data of high quality for efficacy of intervention with convincing evidence for greater cost effectiveness for treatment.  High public health relevance.  High utility for African-American populations.  Evidence for efficacy of the intervention in changing smoking behavior also has been obtained from implementations in other settings, including public health prenatal clinics throughout the entire state of Alabama.  Cost analyses have documented high levels of savings attributable to these interventions.  This is one of the best documented and most effective health education interventions to be presented in the scientific literature.  Addresses three of the Healthy People 2000 Goals.  Study results are transferable to other populations.  The program was built upon stringent reviews of existing programs and studies.  Data-driven and outcomes-oriented strategic focus.   

Reservations Included: 
   
Cost savings or projections, and a claims-based study or chart review study should be performed at some point.