title: Parents' willingness to pay for coeliac disease screening of their child.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study is to determine Swedish parents' willingness to pay (WTP) for coeliac disease (CD) screening of their child.
  
  
  METHODS
  CD screening was undertaken involving 10,041 12-year-old children, with 7567 (75%) agreeing to participate. Blood samples from the children were analysed for CD serological markers. Parents received a questionnaire including a scenario describing the health-related risks of having CD and screening and diagnostic procedures. Parents were also asked whether they were willing to pay for CD screening, should this not be offered free of charge, and, if so, what their maximum WTP would be. Their WTP was compared with the average cost per child for the screening and case ascertainment procedures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The questionnaire was answered by 6524 parents, and of 6057 valid responses 63% stated that they were willing to pay something. The mean WTP was 79 EUR and the median 10 EUR. The average cost per child for the screening and case ascertainment procedures was 47 EUR, which 23% of the parents stated they were willing to pay. Parents' WTP increased with higher education and income, and with child symptoms that may indicate CD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Swedish parents' WTP for school-based CD screening of their child was higher than the average cost per child; however, only a minority of the parents were willing to pay that amount.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Epidemiology and Global Health, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden. fredrik.norstrom@epiph.umu.se
authors.forename: Fredrik
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Norström
authors.forename: Anneli
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ivarsson
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lindholm
authors.forename: Annelie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carlsson
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Danielsson
authors.forename: Lotta
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Högberg
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Karlsson
authors.forename: Curt
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Löfgren
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000191:economics; D002648:Child; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005192:Family Health; D005249:Fees and Charges; D005260:Female; D005102:Health Expenditures; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000191:economics*; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D012574:Schools; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers