Measuring the benefits of health promotion programmes: application of the contingent valuation method.
Economic evaluation of health promotion programmes presents well documented challenges. These programmes often generate significant non-health benefits which are typically ignored within economic evaluation. This study explored the use of the contingent valuation (CV) method to value the broader benefits of a women's group programme to improve maternal and newborn health in Nepal. Interviews were conducted with 93 women's group members, 70 women non-members and 33 men. Respondents were asked to give reasons for their willingness-to-pay (WTP) in terms of health and/or non-health benefits. WTP was regressed against socio-economic and demographic variables using ordinary least squares. Seventy eight percent of respondents were willing-to-pay for the women's groups. There was no significant difference between the WTP of women's group members compared to female non-members. Men were willing-to-pay significantly more than women. WTP reflected non-health benefits in over 80% of cases. At least 11% of women attending meetings and 38% of those not attending were WTP for altruistic motives. Future research should address the relative value of non-health compared to health benefits; and motivations behind non-user values and their consistency across settings.
Borghi
Josephine
J
Health Policy Unit, Department of Public Health & Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, United Kingdom. jo.borghi@lshtm.ac.uk
Jan
Stephen
S
D000533:Altruism; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000191:economics* / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007229:Infant Welfare / Q000191:economics*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008429:Maternal Welfare / Q000191:economics*; D009042:Motivation; D009390:Nepal; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000379:methods*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D026712:Value of Life / Q000191:economics; D014932:Women's Health Services / Q000191:economics* / Q000458:organization & administration