Willingness to pay for preventive travel health measures among Hong Kong Chinese residents.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of preventive measures in combating travel-related illnesses is well recognized. However, there is a lack of information on the economic value of any travel-associated preventive measures in the literature. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this article is to report the values of willingness to pay (WTP) to prevent travel health problems in Hong Kong's travelers. METHODS: A cross-sectional telephone survey for a sample of Hong Kong population was conducted in 1998 using a random digit dialing technique. The sample WTP values were elicited using an open-ended question. Logistic regression was performed to identify predictors of WTP. Mean WTP was estimated using Heckman's sample selection model on log-WTP. RESULTS: Of the subjects interviewed, 77% (285/369) offered positive values of WTP to prevent travel health problems. The observable WTP (zero excluded) had a higher mean (447 Hong Kong dollars) than did the zero-inclusive data (351 Hong Kong dollars). The median values were 200 Hong Kong dollars in both cases because there were a large number of protest responses. Age, travel frequency, ability to assess travel health risk, precautionary behavior, and previous exposure to health protection materials explained one's willingness to pay a positive amount for preventing travel health problems. Age, education level, and precautionary behavior were predictors of the WTP levels. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study suggest that Chinese travelers are willing to pay for the prevention of travel-related illnesses. The predictors of WTP identified could be used to suggest policy changes. However, future studies are needed to explore further the relationship between the experience of travel illnesses, the magnitude of travel health risks, and WTP.