willingness to pay

Helmet use has been introduced as one of the most highlighted strategies for preventing death and injury in motorcyclists. On the other hand, the cost of the helmet was introduced as a barrier to use. This study aimed at estimating the willingness to pay (WTP) of motorcyclists in Saqqez to buy and use safety helmets through the contingent valuation method (CVM).

This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2021 in Saqqez County, Kurdistan Province, Iran. Sampling was performed by two-stage clustering through probability proportion to the size. The sample size was 570. A preliminary questionnaire was designed and administered for validity and reliability approval. Data analysis was carried out through linear regression models using STATA 15.

In total, 510 questionnaires were analyzed. The motorcyclists’ mean age was 31.37 years (SD = 8.48). Only 251 individuals (49.22%) had an appropriate license, and approximately 40% declared that they never used a safety helmet. The mean WTP was estimated to be 3900000 Rials (15/6 US$) through CVM. Motorcyclist age, helmet use by the motorcyclist friends, and socio-economic status were found to be significantly correlated with their WTP.

The effect of socio-economic status on motorcyclist WTP highlights the significance of adopting supportive policies in this regard, along with stakeholder participation from the private sector and insurance companies. Moreover, the positive effect of helmet use by friends on individuals’ WTP shows that improving the general culture of traffic safety can be accompanied by promising results, especially for motorcyclists.

In the present study, we examine the factors affecting the acceptance and intention and willingness to pay for COVID-19 vaccination by Iranian society.

This cross-sectional study was conducted in Iran during about six months in 2020.In this study, the constructs of the health belief model were used to identify the acceptance and intention of vaccination and to evaluate the maximum amount that people are willing to pay for each dose of vaccine using questions based on the contingent valuation method.

Most of the participants in the present study were 18-35 years old (50.8%), female (57.3%), married (64.9%), living in urban areas (91.4%), has a bachelor's degree (38.4%) and had monthly income between 40 and 60 million Rials (26.8%). In terms of health status, only a small percentage reported their general health status at poor level (2.8%) and 22% reported one chronic disease.A total of 323 (81.5%) participants responded positively to the intention to vaccinate, while only 73 (18.5%) answered negatively. The majority of participants (68%) were not willing to pay to vaccination. The mean and standard deviation for the amount that the participants were willing to pay was 3674242 ± 6488349.30 Rials.

Since the outbreak of coronavirus disease, governments' efforts to reduce mortality or morbidity such as public education, social distancing policies, and screening tests have been helpful, but the most effective way to control this disease is a widespread implementation of general vaccination.

Current health insurance programs in Iran suffer from low enrolment and are not sufficient to attain the country to universal health coverage (UHC). The study hypothesized that improving the enrollment rate and moving towards more sustainable UHC can be achieved by improving the benefit package and providing new incentives. The objective of this study is to assess public preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for social health insurance (SHI) in Iran.

A discrete choice experiment (DCE) was conducted in 2022, using a self-administered questionnaire on 500 participants to estimate WTP and determine individual’s preferences for the SHI plan. Respondents were presented with an eight choice set, and asked to select their preferred one. In each choice set, scenarios were described by eight attributes with varying levels. The conditional logit regression model was used to analyze the participants preferences. WTP for each attribute was also calculated by STATA13.

Most of the included attributes were significant predictors of health insurance package selection. The maximum coverage of hospitalization costs in the private sector, ancillary services such as glasses, canes etc., as well as coverage for hospitalization costs in the public sector and drug costs, were the most important determining factors for this choice. Coverage of preventive dental care did not significantly affect respondent choices. Estimating WTP showed that individuals are willing to pay more for higher financial protection, particularly against private sector costs; the WTP to increase the coverage of hospitalization costs in the private sector from 50% to 90% is estimated at 362,068 IR, Rials per month.

This study identifies the key factors that the population value with regard to health insurance and the tradeoffs they are willing to make between them. Hospitalization, drugs and ancillary services were the most important determining factors for their choice. The data suggests that additional resources coming into the Iranian health system might best be prioritized to covering hospitalization and drug costs and those associated with ancillary services.

 Traditional economic studies on substance use disorder treatment have generally focused on the standard evaluation of the costs and benefits of treatment programs.  Meanwhile, willingness to pay (WTP) as a subjective economic indicator uncovers the intangible benefits of treatment that are not gauged by traditional measurements. This study aimed to examine the effect of cost payers’ income and substance use disorder severity on WTP for treatment.

 In an applied descriptive-correlational study, the Addiction Severity Index was used for patients with substance use disorder in two treatment settings: methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) and abstinence-based residential facilities (RFs). The cost payers’ WTP was measured by the contingency valuation method. The cost payers' income and the patients' addiction severity indexes were analyzed in relation to WTP in a regression model. We also used Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U statistical tests to examine the differences in the two treatment settings.

 In MMT clinics, WTP increased with higher income and a higher substance use index, respectively. WTP decreased with the worse grades in the patients' legal and medical status. In RFs, however, changes in WTP for treatment were solely dependent on the cost payers’ income.

 When clients and their families bear the full cost of treatment, cost payers' income plays a key role in preparedness for purchasing treatment services. The severity of substance use disorder is the second factor determining WTP for treatment.

Spinal muscular atrophy is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder that typically leads to severe physical disability. The present study aimed to determine the subjective evaluation of this disorder screening and analyze its influencing factors in Iran.‎    

A cross-sectional study was performed using data from the second survey of women either pregnant or planning to become pregnant in Tehran, the capital of Iran, in 2022. The dependent variable was the willingness to pay for this disease screening test. The independent variables included sociodemographic, economic, and health characteristics, the history of this disease or other diseases of the person and family, and knowledge about this disease in the included population. Logistic regression was utilized to identify independent variables associated with the dependent variable, and the results were reported as unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios and P values with 95% CIs. A questionnaire was used as a research tool, and STATA 17 software was used for data analysis. The monetary value of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) screening was calculated by estimating willingness to pay using the congenital valuation method.   

In total, 578 women were included. About 64.85% of respondents had a willingness to pay for SMA screening as the dependent variable, with a mean of $526. University education (P = 0.009) and pregnancy experience (P = 0.021) were associated with the dependent variable.  

Iranian women expressed their willingness to undergo screening tests, but due to financial constraints, they expected the government and nongovernmental organizations to bear most of the cost.

Understanding the value and willingness to pay (WTP) for services is crucial for decision- making.

This study aimed to measure the level and factors affecting households’ WTP for dental services using the doublebounded dichotomous choice approach.

This cross- sectional study collected data through a questionnaire- based interview with 300 households in the city of Tabriz, Iran, in 2019. The double- bounded dichotomous choice approach was used to estimate WTP, and factors related to WTP were calculated using an internal regression model, and data were analyzed using Stata 14.

The households’ mean WTP for fissure sealant, fluoride therapy, scaling, and removable orthodontics were $8.96, $4.36, $16.00, and$47.38, respectively. Household income, education level, age, regular dental visits, andhaving elderly people in the family were found to be factors affecting WTP for dental services.

The study found that household income was a significant factor affecting WTP for dental services. Not using dental services is often due to low household income and high service prices. Therefore, policymakers should consider setting dental service prices based on income levels to ensure access to services for all income groups.

Financial ability to pay has a unique role in the accessibility of health care services, which indicates the necessity of raising enough funds by governments. However, how much households are willing to pay (WTP) for receiving a particular service? And what factors influence their WTP? The current systematic review aimed to, firstly, review studies on the WTP for Down syndrome (DS) screening, and, secondly, to identify factors that affect WTP for DS screening.

We systematically searched the Scopus, PubMed, Web of Sciences (ISI), and Embase databases to identify relevant studies from their inception to June 2020; the search strategy was updated on December 2021. Initially, 157 articles were identified, and 5 were found eligible for full-text review. In event of any disagreement, a third reviewer was used. Extracted WTPs were converted to US dollars in 2018 using exchange rate parity and the present value formula to make a comparison. The quality assessment of the selected studies was done using the "Lancsar and Louvier" and Smith checklist; also, vote counting was used to assess the influence of factors.

Five eligible studies, published from 2005 to 2020, were fully reviewed. All final studies were scored as good quality. The extracted WTPs varied from $169 to $1118 in UK and Canada, respectively. Income and information/knowledge about screening tests were the most frequently investigated factors. Education level, detection rate, women's age, cost, and family history were significantly associated with higher levels of WTP for DS screening.

This study demonstrated a significant gap in WTP for DS screening in various countries. Women are WTP higher costs for tests with higher screenings. Also, a unique role was identified for income, occupation, information, and family history of DS in WTP for DS screening. In addition, a positive association was found for the variable of age.

Cervical cancer is the fifth most deadly cancer in women in Iran. The present study aimed to investigate the monetary value of cervical cancer screening benefits from a social perspective.  

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 480 women aged 30 to 59 years in Mazandaran province, Iran, from 2020-21. The willingness to pay (WTP) for screening tests- Pap smear and simultaneous tests- was investigated using a researcher-made questionnaire based on the contingent valuation method (CVM) in 2 separate sample groups. The first group received basic information regarding cervical cancer (Scenario 1), while the second received complementary information in addition to basic knowledge (Scenario 2).  Multivariate regression was applied to examine factors affecting WTP and the difference between the mean WTP in 2 scenarios was analyzed by a t-test.   

The mean WTP of Pap smear and simultaneous tests was estimated at US$135.08 and US$160.19, respectively. There were significant and negative relationships between age and household size with the WTP of the Pap smear test. The number of people with income, household expenses, a chronic illness, and suggested base price indicated significant and positive effects on WTP of the Pap smear test. The number of people with income and household expenses showed significant and positive relationships with the WTP of simultaneous tests. There was no significant difference between the mean WTP of each group and the demand for screening tests was not elastic.      

The mean WTP of screening tests is notable when compared to their cost, demonstrating the need of concentrating on screening programs.

To assess determinants of Willingness to Pay (WTP) for Community Health Insurance (CHI) among commercial motorcyclists (Boda boda riders) in Kampala City, Uganda.

This is a descriptive study with a cross-sectional design. A total of 381 commercial motorcyclists were selected from Nakawa Division using purposive and simple random sampling methods. Structured interviews and contingency valuation method were used for data collection and measuring WTP for CHI. Data were collected in April, May and June 2019. Data were analyzed in SPSS software, v. 21 by multivariate regression analysis and considering at significance level of P<0.05. 

Most of Boda boda riders had WTP for CHI (70%); 7 out of 10 commercial motorcyclists were willing to pay a premium of at least 70,000 UGX (20 USD).Those with at least five years of experience in the commercial motorcycle business were 9 times more willing to pay for CHI. Those with hired motorcycles and a history of involvement in a riding accident were less likely to pay for CHI. The other key determinants of WTP included: Being a commercial motorcyclist for 3 years or more, being aware of CHI, self-employment (riding own motorcycle), a history of payment for any form of insurance, and being single. 

The WTP for CHI is high among commercial motorcyclists in Kampala City. The WTP among these motorcyclists is determined more by individual factors and less by insurance scheme-related factors. The results recommend the coverage of informal sector by CHI schemes to increase universal health coverage in Uganda.