title: Valuing health at different ages: evidence from a nationally representative survey in the US.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Evidence about how people value health gains for different age groups is controversial and incomplete, despite the significance of this issue for priority setting in health policy.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to collect and analyse nationally representative data in the US regarding how people prioritize health programmes for children versus older adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  In January 2009, an online survey was administered to a nationally representative sample of US adults. Participants were asked for their preferences between health programmes benefiting 100 children aged 10 years versus health programmes benefiting a randomly varying number of adults aged 60 years. Participants were also asked about reasons for their choices.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The survey response rate was 64% (n = 2132). Most respondents favoured programmes for 100 children aged 10 years when compared with programmes benefiting as many as 1000 adults aged 60 years. This was true even for the respondent group least inclined to favour children - older adults without children aged <18 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  US adults, regardless of sociodemographic characteristics, report preferences for health gains for children that go well beyond differentials that can be explained by relative life expectancy. Further work is needed to understand the extent to which these findings accurately reflect societal preferences.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Management and Policy, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029, USA. daneis@umich.edu
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Eisenberg
authors.forename: Gary L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Freed
authors.forename: Matthew M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: Dianne
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Singer
authors.forename: Lisa A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Prosser
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002755:Choice Behavior; D005260:Female; D006292:Health Priorities; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011639:Public Opinion; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult