Towards an evidence based coverage policy in tobacco dependence treatment: cost-effectiveness of smoking cessation interventions in Latin América.

Smoking is the single most preventable cause of disease and death around the world. Based on 1990-1994 data, tobacco-caused mortality is estimated to be more than one million deaths annually in the American continent. Cost-effectiveness analysis in smoking cessation are complex because of uncertainty about long term cessation rates, the long term benefits of smoking cessation between different sub-groups of smokers and disease specific morbidity and mortality.