The Impact of Information on Women’s Willingness to Pay for Mammography Screening

Mammography screening is associated with considerable risks. In addition to the advantages of mammography, women need to be aware of the possible disadvantages of this method to determine the real price of mammography. In this study, women’s willingness to perform mammography was studied in two groups receiving basic and complementary information. This study is a cross-sectional, which was conducted in Tabriz City in 2017. Data were collected via questionnaire, contingent valuation methods, and techniques of open-ended questions. Women were randomly divided into two groups containing 225 participants; a group only received general information and the other received both basic and complementary information. The average willingness to perform mammography in the group 1 (basic information) was significantly higher than the group 2 (complementary information) ($19.33 vs. $15, P < 0.01). Statistical analyses for robust regression showed that women with a history of receiving mammography screening, a history of family cancer, the education, income, age, and job indicated significant effects on women’s willingness to perform mammography. Although providing information on the risks of mammography screening significantly decreased women’s willingness to pay for such tests, these findings suggest that women can balance the potential disadvantages of mammography screening against its effectiveness in saving lives.
Keywords: Willingness to pay; Breast Cancer; Screening