Abstract
This paper presents results from a pilot study of the synergies between
the opportunity costs incurred by research participants, participant
compensation, and program attendance in a family-based substance use and HIV
preventive intervention for Hispanic adolescents in Miami-Dade County, Florida.
To estimate parent/caretaker cost per session and cost for the duration of the
intervention, we administered the Caretaker Drug Abuse Treatment Cost Analysis
Program (Caretaker DATCAP) to a random sample of 34 families who participated in
a recent clinical trial of
Familias Unidas
. The total
opportunity cost per parent/caretaker was under $40 per group session, under $30
per family session, and just over $570 for the duration of the intervention.
Participants were compensated between $40 and $50 per session and attended more
than 79% of family and group sessions. Parents and caretakers incurred a
cost of approximately $30–40 per intervention session for which they
were adequately compensated. Attendance was very good overall for this group
(>79%) and significantly higher than attendance in a comparable
uncompensated study group from another recent
Familias Unidas
trial that targeted similar youth. Findings suggest that incentives should be
considered important for future implementations of
Familias
Unidas
and similar family-based interventions that target minority
and low-SES populations.
