| Equation | (# participants) x (% individuals getting training solely because of the program) x (# QALY increase) x ($ QALY) |
| Explanation | This metric estimates the impact of intensive sexual education on lifetime health, estimated in terms of quality-adjusted life years (QALY). The benchmark QALY increase estimated in this metric is based off of two, school-based sexual education models described below, with adjustments made based on the actual intensity of the program model being assessed. Number of participants: Reported by program. Percent of individuals receiving sex education solely because of the program: Estimated by the Constellation Fund. QALY increase: [0.19]. These added QALY are with respect to traditional sex education at schools and are based on two intensive models (Cooper, et al., 2012). Model 1 is a teacher-based model comprised of a 20-session classroom-based program over 2 years (10 sessions at age 13–14 years, and 10 at age 14–15 years). Teachers are taught in groups of thirteen during a 5-day training course run by a health promotion practitioner. Model 2 is a peer-led model comprised of three sessions during one school term. Training is undertaken in groups of twelve peer educators per training session over a 2-day intensive course led by a health promotion practitioner. The impact on QALY from these programs is high (0.39) but, note that the interventions are significantly more intensive than regular sexual education. We compare the length and content of the grantee’s program to these two programs and determine whether to apply the full impact on QALYs from the literature or discount the QALY value if the grantee’s program does not match the dosage, intensity, and quality of the programs in the literature. $ value per QALY: [$50,000] Benefits are then discounted to present value based on the average age of participation to life expectancy. |
| References | Douglas-Hall, A., Kost, K., and Kavanaugh M. (2017) State-Level Estimates of Contraceptive Use in the United States, 2017. New York: Guttmacher Institute, 2018. Sonnenberg, Frank A., et al. (2004). Costs and net health effects of contraceptive methods. Contraception, 69(6), 447-459. |
HEA018 Sex education leading to increased quality-adjusted life years (QALY)
