PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Murukutla, Nandita AU - Yan, Hongjin AU - Wang, Shuo AU - Negi, Nalin Singh AU - Kotov, Alexey AU - Mullin, Sandra AU - Goodchild, Mark TI - Cost-effectiveness of a smokeless tobacco control mass media campaign in India AID - 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2016-053564 DP - 2018 Sep 01 TA - Tobacco Control PG - 547--551 VI - 27 IP - 5 4099 - http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/27/5/547.short 4100 - http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/27/5/547.full SO - Tob Control2018 Sep 01; 27 AB - Background Tobacco control mass media campaigns are cost-effective in reducing tobacco consumption in high-income countries, but similar evidence from low-income countries is limited. An evaluation of a 2009 smokeless tobacco control mass media campaign in India provided an opportunity to test its cost-effectiveness.Methods Campaign evaluation data from a nationally representative household survey of 2898 smokeless tobacco users were compared with campaign costs in a standard cost-effectiveness methodology. Costs and effects of the Surgeon campaign were compared with the status quo to calculate the cost per campaign-attributable benefit, including quit attempts, permanent quits and tobacco-related deaths averted. Sensitivity analyses at varied CIs and tobacco-related mortality risk were conducted.Results The Surgeon campaign was found to be highly cost-effective. It successfully generated 17 259 148 additional quit attempts, 431 479 permanent quits and 120 814 deaths averted. The cost per benefit was US$0.06 per quit attempt, US$2.6 per permanent quit and US$9.2 per death averted. The campaign continued to be cost-effective in sensitivity analyses.Conclusion This study suggests that tobacco control mass media campaigns can be cost-effective and economically justified in low-income and middle-income countries. It holds significant policy implications, calling for sustained investment in evidence-based mass media campaigns as part of a comprehensive tobacco control strategy.