Time preferences and preventive health behavior: acceptance of the influenza vaccine.
BACKGROUND
Many preventive health behaviors involve immediate costs and delayed benefits. Time preference is the extent to which decision makers value future outcomes relative to immediate ones. Consequently, people with future-oriented time preferences should be more likely to adopt preventive measures. The relationship between time preferences and acceptance of a free influenza vaccination was examined.


METHODS
The participants were 412 corporate employees who were offered free influenza vaccinations at their workplace.


METHODS
Participants' time preferences were measured in each of two domains: money and health. They also reported on whether they had accepted the influenza vaccination and their beliefs and attitudes about the vaccine.


RESULTS
There was a small (OR = 2.38) relationship of vaccination acceptance to monetary time preferences but not to the health time-preference measures. Other variables, such as perceived effectiveness of the vaccine, were more predictive.


CONCLUSIONS
This study provides some evidence of a small relationship between time preferences and preventive health behavior.
Chapman
G B
GB
Psychology Department, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854-8020, USA. gbc@rci.rutgers.edu
Coups
E J
EJ
D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D009786:Occupational Health Services; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014611:Vaccination / Q000523:psychology
D007252:Influenza Vaccines